Unforeseen Queen
by PrincessLala95
Summary: Almost two years after the events of The Secret Daughter (and 21 years after the events of TESV:Skyrim), Leola Stormcloak has settled nicely into her role as Skyrim's new High Queen. Tamriel, however, is not a place where things remain peaceful for long, and her mother's legacy still has some surprises in store for her.
1. Chapter 1

"Parry - that's right - block, then counter."

Leola shifted her form to the side, her sword clanking against the other woman's sword as she blocked it. She quickly moved forward, thrusting her sword towards the other woman in retaliation. The brunette jumped back slightly, a grin coming to her lips.

"Wonderful, your majesty, that was perfect!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands together. "You're a natural, you really are - you just keep on getting better."

"Thank you, Caelia," Leola said, a grin coming to her lips as she sheathed her sword again. She lifted her hands to remove her helmet, letting her blonde curls fall free and giving her head a shake. Beads of sweat dotted her forehead, and she was breathing rather heavily.

"I think that's all our time for today, but you've done really well," said the brunette, Caelia. "Have a good day, your majesty - I'll see you at the same time tomorrow?"

"Actually," Leola said, "Erith is coming home tonight, so I was hoping to spend the day with her tomorrow. Perhaps we can schedule our next lesson for this time on Morndas?"

"Ah, yes," Caelia said with a smile, nodding. "That's fine, she's been gone quite a while so I'm sure you're looking forward to seeing her."

"I am," Leola replied with a grin. "As lucky as the College is to have her, I do miss her when she's gone."

"I know the feeling," Caelia replied, smiling. "I do miss my dear Asgorn when I am away."

"I'm sure that he misses you as well," Leola replied, putting a hand on her arm. "Perhaps you should visit him while Erith is here, as you'll not have your lessons with me for a few days?"

A light seemed to come to Caelia's brown eyes and a grin spread across her lips. "I hadn't even considered that," she said. "I should do that, though - he'd love the surprise."

"He certainly would," Leola replied with a grin. "I shall see you on Morndas, then?"

"You shall," Caelia replied with a nod. "Take care, my Queen."

"And you," Leola responded. She headed over to Jorleif, who took the helmet from her and handed over a towel in its place.

"She's right, your majesty," Jorleif said. "Your skill with the blade has certainly been improving. Your parents would be proud."

"I'd like to think so," Leola replied softly, a smile coming to her lips as she patted the towel against her face, drying it of the beaded sweat. "I've no plans for this afternoon, do I?"

"After your lesson, I believe that your schedule is clear until supper," Jorleif responded. "Unless, of course, Lady Erith arrives early."

"Then I am going to take a long, hot bath," she replied with a smile. "If Erith does arrive early, then send for me - otherwise, I'd like not to be disturbed."

"Certainly, your majesty," he replied with a nod, turning and heading off with her helmet. She smiled to herself, running a hand through her dampened blonde hair as she retreated indoors.

Within half an hour, the servants had filled a basin with hot water and Leola was soaking in it in her chamber. The warmth felt nice against her skin, her muscles sore from her intense training over the last several months, and she settled in well, closing her eyes and laying her head back against the rim of the tub.

She still couldn't believe that it had been almost two years since her father had died. Almost a year and a half now that she'd been Queen… So many things had changed, and yet, it all felt strangely familiar to her. Would her father be proud of the way she ruled? She liked to think that she was just, fair, and kind. Her people gave her the utmost love and respect, and she reciprocated it.

As the steam rolled off the hot water in her tub, Leola found herself growing light-headed and woozy. Such hot baths often left her drowsy, and this one was no exception. She'd been in the tub for barely ten minutes before she started to drift off to sleep.

In her sleep, she found herself in the woods. It was a dream she had often enough - a recurring dream that she could never quite understand. She grasped a torch in one hand, and in the other hand there was a blade - it was familiar to her, but she couldn't quite place it. There was blood on her hands, and standing between the trees ahead of her, she saw a man. This part was different.

It was an Altmer man, with piercing blue eyes that almost seemed to glow in the dark and a mess of black hair. She had seen him before, on the day of her coronation a year and a half ago. He'd been in the palace, but when she'd looked again, he was gone. In her dreams, though, he stayed. He had a chilling smile on his face as he watched the young Queen, eyeing the bloody dagger in her hand.

"So we meet again," he said to her. These dreams were unlike any Leola had ever experienced, because in them, she was completely lucid - aware that she was dreaming, fully able to control her own actions, but unable to wake herself.

"Indeed, we do," she responded. They had conversed a few times before. At first when she had the dream, she had found herself unsure what to do, but the more it came, the more sure of herself she was. "Did you consider what we discussed?"

"I did," he responded with a nod. "And I acted on it."

"You did what?" she asked, her blue eyes widening as she took a few steps towards him. "Did you find him?"

"No, but I looked," the man replied, giving a shake of his head. "Your little assassin friend is a hard man to find when he does not wish to be found."

"That can't be it," Leola said softly, shaking her head. "He said that he would come back. He promised."

"I can assure you that he is not dead," the man said, clasping his hands behind his back and taking a step towards her. "I asked the leader of his organization. Mister Nazir claimed not to have seen him since the days leading up to your coronation. Nor has he seen any of your friend's subordinates - you know, his three friends."

"Cassius, Minot, and Naniena," Leola responded.

"Alas, Nazir would not give me any information on the three of them. It would have been a good lead, knowing that wherever they are, he must be nearby."

"Naniena has two sons in Morthal," Leola said in a soft voice. "Their nanny's name is Larethia. She may know something, if you ask her - but please, Nericano, be kind. Larethia is a good woman, and Nani's sons are good children."

"I will be nothing but the kindest, my sweet Queen," the Altmer responded, giving a sweeping bow. "Have you any more leads that I might follow, or is this the best we can muster?"

"It's the best that I have for now," Leola replied. "Erith is returning home tonight. If she has any information, then I will tell you the next time we meet."

"Ah, yes, the Queen's queen," Nericano murmured, a smirk toying at his lips. "I shall make my way to Morthal, and I will see for you what this Larethia knows."

"When will you make your way to Windhelm?" Leola asked, gazing towards him. He stepped forward, outstretching his hands to take hers.

"We shall meet when the time is right, sweet Queen," he replied, a smile on his lips. "Until then, let me do your bidding in silence. I will find you your assassin, it is only a matter of time."

"Very well," Leola replied softly, nodding. "Thank you, Nericano. Good luck in Morthal."

"Good luck with your mage," the man replied with a smirk, and before Leola could respond, she awoke. She gasped out sharply, sitting bolt upright in the tub. The water had gone lukewarm, and she saw only darkness through the window. How long had she been asleep?

She hurried to clamber out of the tub, drying herself as quickly as she could before getting dressed. It was late, shouldn't Erith have been home by now? She left her room, grabbing the nearest servant to handle the water basin before hurrying into the main hall.

"Jorleif! Farkand!" she said as she entered, seeing her steward and commander in the throne room. "What time is it? Where is Erith?"

"Relax, Leola," said Farkand with a laugh. His tall blond figure moved towards her and he put his hands down on her shoulders. "It's not as late as you think, merely a storm moving in. Erith should be here soon, don't worry."

Leola bit her lip, nodding quickly. "Of course," she said. "I'm sorry."

"There's no need to apologize," said the Nord, shaking his head. "Take a seat, relax."

"I think I will," Leola replied with a nod, walking towards the throne. It still felt strange sitting on the throne, but she lowered herself on to the seat and leaned backwards, sighing to herself.

She eyed Farkand as he walked by. He wore regular clothing, rather than the armoured leathers that he typically wore, and she could see the bulk of his muscles straining against his outfit. He reminded her a great deal of Sond, how she missed him. Farkand was hardly Galmar - where the old man had been gruff and tough, Farkand had a gentle kindness about him when he was with the Queen. She often missed Galmar's opinionated grumbling around the palace, but in the months since he'd passed, Farkand the Stone had been nothing but wonderful as his replacement. He'd even been responsible for hiring Caelia to train Leola - Caelia used to be an Imperial soldier, and then she worked for the Dark Brotherhood training their new recruits. They'd found that her style of combat was a bit loud and aggressive for the shadowy kills they needed to make, though, so they'd let her go.

Thoughts of the Dark Brotherhood brought a great deal of sadness to Leola's heart. How she missed Aventus. He had been her best friend, her closest confidant...and yet, when she needed him most, at her side as she ruled, he was nowhere to be found. She'd not seen him since the night of her coronation, when he said that business called and he would be back. He had never come back.

There came a sudden banging at the doors that caused all three of them to jump. Leola's blue eyes darted towards the large doors of the palace. It couldn't possibly be Erith - she would have simply breezed right in.

"Your majesty?" asked Farkand, looking at her.

"Open them," she said with a nod, and the large blond man hurried to the doors. He opened them, filling the throne room with the deafening roar of the thunder and the rain as it crashed down, and Leola let out an audible gasp as she saw who was coming in.

"Leola!" exclaimed the brown-haired Imperial, his dark eyes gazing towards her. He was soaked, his hair falling in his face and stuck to his forehead, but she knew him well enough to recognize him immediately.

"Cassius?" she asked, rising from her seat. The assassin was covered in blood - his own blood, she could tell by the gashes and cuts in his wet armour - and she could see a limp in his step.

"Leola - aargh," he gasped out, collapsing to one knee. Leola could almost see the pain shooting through his broken leg. "Leola, this is - it's important… Aventus, Leola, he needs your help…"


	2. Chapter 2

Cassius groaned slightly as the servant took the cloth to the wound on his arm, dabbing gently at the blood both dried and fresh that coated it. He was now shirtless, sitting at the table while the servant tried to clean him up. Leola sat across from him with Farkand standing behind her, in the process of putting on his armour.

"Cassius, slow down," Leola told her friend in a soft voice, reaching over and placing her hand atop his bloodied one. "Where is Aventus?"

"K-Kynesgrove," Cassius said, groaning again at the sensation of the servant cleaning him up. "An Imperial force has taken the town…"

"Imperials in Skyrim?" asked Farkand, his blue eyes widening. "That can't be!"

"Aventus...we were trying to find their base of operations, trying to keep Skyrim s-safe," Cassius said, a low groan leaving his lips as the servant started to bandage up the arm wound. "We tracked them to Kynesgrove, but...they knew we were coming...they took the others, I was the only one able to escape…"

"And you came here?" Leola asked, and he nodded.

"You're the only one who could help," Cassius replied. "Aventus...he needs you…"

"Who else was captured?" Farkand asked, glancing up as another pair of servants hurried in carrying his armour. They immediately began to help him get it on, and Leola couldn't help but to feel pleased that her new general was so ready to go and help a friend he'd never met.

"Aventus, Minot, Nani, and a newer recruit, Miloish," Cassius replied. "They could be already dead for all I know."

"Not if I have anything to say about it," Farkand replied, strapping on his gauntlets before taking his helmet from the servants. "Your majesty, will you be accompanying me?"

"You want me to come?"

"Jorleif said that you are improving a great deal through your lessons with Caelia, I am certain that you can handle yourself," he replied, giving her a grin.

"Of course I'll come," she said. She turned her attention to the servant who was dressing Cassius's wounds. "When you're finished tending to his injuries, take him to our finest guest room. And when you see Jorleif, can you let him know where I've gone and that if Lady Erith returns, to tell her that I'll be back by morning?" she asked, and the servant was quick to nod.

"You fetch your armour," Farkand said to her. "I'll go and rouse some more men - we'll need them if we're to fight Imperial soldiers."

"Of course," she said, nodding. "I'll meet you in the stables."

"I'll see you there," he replied, and in an instant, he was off. Leola turned back to Cassius.

"You let her finish bandaging you up and then get some rest," she said. "We'll be back with the others before you know it."

"Good luck," he replied, and with one last nod, Leola hurried off to get her armour on.

A few minutes later, in heavy leather armour that was carefully fitted to her small form, Leola found herself hurrying through town to the stables. Fastened on her wrists were her father's bracers, and in her hands, she carried the Jagged Crown. Galmar had always told her that one day, a mighty warrior King or Queen would one day wear it again into battle, and though this might not be the mighty battle of life and death that he'd anticipated, it was an important one for her.

Waiting for her at the stables were a couple dozen Stormcloak soldiers, all being led by Farkand. They had piled into the carriage, and those that didn't fit had taken horses. Farkand had his own horse, and was holding the reins of Leola's. She hurried to them, placing the crown atop her head before climbing up on the horse.

"Let's ride," Farkand shouted, giving a hand signal. The carriage started off, flanked by soldiers on horseback. He gestured for Leola to follow, and then he rode his horse up to the front. She joined him at the front of the group, riding side by side.

"We shouldn't take long to get there," she said, and he shook his head in agreement.

"We shouldn't at all," he replied. "I sent ahead a pair of scouts to see if they could evaluate the situation. I just don't understand how Imperial forces could have taken the town without somebody letting us know. We're supposed to have soldiers in town."

"They must have taken them by surprise," Leola replied. "If our men weren't expecting a fight, an entire troop of Imperial soldiers would have been more than they could handle."

"Then what happened to our men? Dead, or prisoners?" asked Farkand.

"I suppose we'll find out when we get there," Leola replied.

The ride to Kynareth was a short one. They had almost reached the village when Farkand suddenly held up one fist, signalling the others to stop.

"What is it?" asked one of the men riding not far behind them.

"Our scouts haven't met us yet," Farkand replied. "They should have reached Kynareth and had time to evaluate things by now - they were to meet us on the road around here, if not earlier."

"Then you think they've been caught?" Leola asked, and he nodded.

"Caught or killed," he replied. "Your majesty, I'd like you to fall back to the rear of our group."

"Nonsense," she replied, shaking her head. "I intend to fight in this battle, just as my parents once did."

Farkand gave a nod, indicating that he respected her decision. He pointed forwards, and the entirety of their group began to move again.

Sure enough, the Imperials were waiting for them. At least a dozen were patrolling the village, swords drawn and eyes wary. The moment they spotted the Stormcloaks between the trees, one gave a shout and they all moved forward.

"Men, attack!" Farkand shouted, and with a cry of their own, Leola's men moved forward.

Leola took her shield from her back and unsheathed her sword, ready for battle. Each soldier that came towards her, though, Farkand seemed to cut them down. It was as if he was keeping her from the battle, protecting her so that the soldiers might not be able to get her.

"Your majesty, there are more in the mines!" shouted the voice of one of Leola's men a little ways away. Her eyes darted his way, and he gestured towards the mine entrance.

"Farkand, the mines!" she said, tugging on the reins of her horse and taking off towards them.

"Your highness, wait!" Farkand exclaimed, running his sword through another soldier. Leola didn't wait, though, instead hurried towards the mine entrance. She reached the Stormcloak soldier who had called her and she jumped down from her horse, gesturing for him to enter the mines with her.

Their swords drawn, she and the soldier walked in. The mines were dark, and Leola suspected that somebody had extinguished the torches once they realized that they were under attack.

"I can't see a thing," she said in a soft voice.

"Nor can I," her soldier replied. "But the mine - it's the perfect place for prisoners, our scouts could be in here."

"Oh, they are," came a voice from a little ways ahead. Leola stilled, her ears perking up as she listened closely for more sounds. Suddenly, a burst of light came from ahead as somebody - a mage, it had to be - conjured a blast of flames.

Leola lifted her shield, jumping in front of her soldier and ducking. The fire hit her shield and she could feel the metal heating up, but it didn't harm her or her man. The light had lasted just long enough for her to make out the silhouettes ahead, though - there were only two, and she knew that they could handle it.

"There are two," she whispered to the soldier beside her, her voice so low it was almost inaudible. "Take the wall to the left, I'll take the right."

The soldier put a hand on her shoulder to indicate that he had heard and understood, and then she heard him shuffle off. She moved in the opposite direction until she was touching the wall, and then she began to slink forward.

"Come out, come out, your beautiful majesty," murmured a taunting voice that Leola knew had to be the Imperial soldier ahead of her. She was getting closer, almost close enough to run him through - until she suddenly heard the sound of magic being conjured up. This wasn't the Imperial mage, though - it was way too far back, a dim blue shard of ice magic that suddenly soared forward. It struck the soldier that Leola had been moving for, and the soldier alongside her took that as his sign to move. He moved forward with a shout, his sword running through the second Imperial.

"Your majesty?" came a female voice from further back. "Leola? It can't be."

"Who goes there?" Leola called out, brandishing her blade.

"It's just us, relax," came a familiar male voice. Leola's eyes widened as she saw a white ball of magic being conjured up further down the tunnel. Sure enough, the light illuminated the forms of Aventus and Minot.

"Aventus?" Leola asked, her eyes widening. He hardly looked to be the man she knew - his hair was matted and messy, and he was dressed in rags.

"Leola," he said softly as he and Minot moved towards her. "Thank Sithis you came, Leola…"

Leola sheathed her sword, running forward and throwing herself into his arms. He was quick to hug her back, clutching her close against his chest. One of his hands entwined itself in the blonde curls that stuck out beneath her helmet, and she clung to him like her life depended on it.

"Aventus, where have you been?" she asked softly.

"It's a long story, Leola," he replied, slowly pulling back from the hug and cupping her cheek with one hand. "And it's not a story for right now. We have to get to the inn, before any reinforcements come."


	3. Chapter 3

With a torch in hand, Farkand entered the mines and grabbed the rest of the prisoners - their two scouts had been chained up and thrown in, along with Naniena and the newer recruit, Miloish. As the group of them moved out of the mines, Leola heard Miloish behind her speaking to Nani in a soft voice, saying he hadn't realized that Aventus was friends with the Queen.

They headed to the inn, and when they got there, they found all the locals holed up inside. Kjeld, his aging mother, and the two sisters who owned the farm, along with their two farmhands and a young child that belonged to one of them, though Leola didn't quite catch which one it was.

"Your majesty!" Kjeld had exclaimed as she entered, and immediately the locals all dropped to their knees. "You came to save us!"

"I did," Leola said. "Please, rise - I'm so sorry that I didn't come sooner. How long has this been going on?"

"A few weeks now," the man replied, running his hand through his shaggy brown hair. "The Imperials have kept close tabs on the inn, and on each of us - they wouldn't let us leave but to tend to the crops and work the mines. Even then, they had a soldier or two for each of us, to make sure nobody tried to run to you."

"That's horrible," Leola said. "I'm so sorry. What happened to the local Stormcloak guards?"

"I don't know," he admitted, shaking his head. "Killed, I'm sure." He paused, glancing towards Aventus. "Your gear, they stashed in the locked guest room where they're holding my sister."

"Your sister?" Leola asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes," he replied, and she could see a sadness in his eyes. "My younger sister, Froa - she is young and beautiful, and they...I can't even think what they may have done to her...by Talos, her screams..." he said, shaking his head.

Leola heard Farkand grunt slightly behind her, and immediately, she saw him hurrying for the way that led to the guest rooms. He began to open doors, checking inside until he came to the one that wouldn't open. The moment he began to grasp the handle, though, he heard a scream from inside.

"No, please, stay out," wailed the voice, sounding desperate and helpless.

"My name is Farkand and I am the commander of Her Royal Majesty High Queen Leola's armies," Farkand said in a loud voice. "Your village has been liberated and we are here to save you."

"The key is on one of the soldiers," the woman's voice called back, sounding shaky and uncertain. "Please, let me out!"

Farkand didn't respond, instead turned and stormed out. There was a fire in his eyes that Leola had never seen before. "Your majesty," he said, looking to her as he went by. "We will take these townspeople to Windhelm so that these reinforcements of which your friend spoke can't get them."

"Good plan," Leola replied as he left. She then turned to Aventus, who had his hand resting gently on her back. "Aventus," she breathed, lifting a hand to touch his cheek. She hadn't known whether he was still alive, and now, he was here in front of her.

"Leola, I'm so sorry," he said softly. "I should have come back, I know, but I couldn't."

"Why?" she asked.

"I just couldn't," he said, shaking his head. "I was determined to protect you from a distance, to keep to the shadows and make sure you were always safe...and when I uncovered the Imperial plot, I knew you weren't safe...but I also knew that if you found out, you'd want to be involved in stopping them, and I couldn't lie to you about something so big...I had to keep my distance, otherwise I knew I'd tell you all about it and then you'd go putting yourself in danger and you've already been through so much, I just wanted you to focus on settling in as Queen and figuring out your day-to-day duties…" Aventus was speaking at about a mile a minute, trying to explain and justify himself to Leola. She had to admit, though, that it was working. As hurt as she still was that he'd gone silent for so long and let her worry and wonder about him, she understood exactly what he was saying and, in all truth, probably would have done the same in his place.

"Aventus," she said softly, reaching over and taking his hand. "Breathe for a second, Aventus. I'm not angry."

"How are you not angry?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Because I probably would have done the same if I was in your place," she replied, and a smirk began to cross his lips.

"Maybe you would now, but a year and a half ago? The Leola I knew back then wouldn't have," he said.

"What is that supposed to mean?" she asked.

"It means that you're a team player. You're an all for one, and one for all kind of woman. If there's a problem that needs solving, you like to get as many heads together as you can to figure out a solution. If you'd uncovered an Imperial plot like this you would have grabbed everybody you knew to help deal with it - just look at what you did when you found out I was in trouble here."

Leola paused, thinking for a moment. It was true, she and Farkand had brought over twenty men in order to save Aventus and the other Dark Brotherhood members trapped with him. But then, it had been Farkand's plan to begin with. It was at that moment that he conveniently happened to walk - or, rather, storm - inside, clutching an elegant iron key in one hand and heading in the direction of that locked door. He inserted the key and unlocked it, and Leola watched him go in. A minute later, out came Farkand, gently supporting a young woman who was wobbling on her feet.

She was lovely, a Nord with tanned skin, dark hair, and brown eyes. He had wrapped her up in a blanket, and Leola could see bruises and cuts all over her body.

"Froa!" exclaimed Kjeld, his eyes widening. "Dear sister, what did they do to you?"

"Nothing that I could not handle," she mumbled in response, giving him a sarcastic smirk. Her brother couldn't help but to smile, shaking his head.

"Always with your sense of humour, even in these dark times," he murmured.

"People of Kynesgrove," Leola said, speaking up to address the group, "your village is no longer safe as it is under threat of Imperial reinforcements. If you will all come outside with us, we've a carriage waiting that can transport you safely to Windhelm, where you will be safe under protection of the Stormcloaks. We should hurry, as we don't know how long it will take the Imperial reinforcements to arrive."

Aventus began to gently shepherd the townspeople out of the inn, while Farkand helped the young woman, Froa. Once the people were out and Leola's men were helping them to pile into the carriage, Aventus headed into Froa's room to find their gear, as Kjeld had mentioned it being stashed in the same locked room as her. Minot, who had yet to speak a word to Leola, followed him, while Nani simply came up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder.

"It's good to see you, your majesty," she said, and Leola glanced her way, smiling.

"You too, Nani," she replied softly. "And please, you know you can just call me Leola."

"It's been a while, you never know whether power might have gotten to your head," Nani replied teasingly, and both women laughed softly.

"Nani?" called Minot from the other room, and the Redguard gently patted Leola's shoulder before heading over to join the others and get her gear. That left Leola with the Argonian, Miloish, with whom she'd still not yet spoken.

"So," he said awkwardly in his low, hissing voice, stepping forward. Leola laughed softly. He was intriguing as far as Argonians went - his scales were a dark colour, with occasional blotches or protrusions of red.

"You're Miloish," she said to him. "Cassius mentioned you, though we've yet to meet."

"I had no idea that Aventus was friends with you, your majesty. I thought that our mission to defend Skyrim against the Imperial threat was a mission of a more...official...nature."

"Is that all you've been doing as of late?" she asked, and he shook his head.

"No, we still do our job first and foremost, but the whole group of us was sworn to secrecy about this mission. When we're not doing jobs for the Brotherhood, we've been given tasks by Aventus - finding and stopping Imperial threats where we can, trying to gather information, those kinds of things," he explained, and she nodded.

"I see," she replied. "I suppose I'll need to call off the man I have searching for Aventus right now."

"You have someone looking for him?" Miloish asked, a smirk toying at his wide mouth. "You know that Aventus is a hard man to find when he does not wish to be found."

"Perhaps, but I was desperate," Leola replied. "He left the night of my coronation and then I never saw or heard from him again. He's one of my closest and dearest friends, Miloish, so I'm sure you can understand why I would want to find him."

"Of course," he said. "If I could be so honoured, your majesty, I swear to you that I shall make sure he writes to you and keeps you updated rather than keeping you in the dark any longer."

Leola laughed, nodding. "If that's what you want to do, I'd appreciate that," she replied, figuring it best to humour the Argonian. She was having a hard time getting a reading on him - on one hand, he had an excellent sense of humour and was making for pleasant conversation, and on the other hand, he seemed to be grovelling a bit much.

"Miloish, the last of it's yours," came Minot's voice as she, Aventus, and Nani emerged from the other room, all clad in their red and black Dark Brotherhood outfits with their weapons on their figures once again. The Argonian said nothing, instead darted towards the other room to get his stuff. Leola looked towards Aventus, who grinned.

"He's an odd one, but he's loyal and he's an excellent fighter," he said to her. "He's a good man."

"I trust your judgement," she replied with a nod. "Now, let's get out of here before those Imperials arrive."

"We're not coming to Windhelm with you," Minot said, and Leola raised an eyebrow.

"I thought you were," she said softly.

"I'm sorry, Leola," said Aventus, stepping forward. "We have to head back to the Sanctuary, regroup, and figure out our next step."

"You can do that in Windhelm, though. You can use the war room, have as many of my men as you need-"

"Remember what I said, Leola?" he asked, smiling warmly. "You're a team player, but this is something we have to keep small. We have this under control, I promise."

Leola sighed softly. She didn't believe him, she wanted to give him her men and her resources and her aid, but she didn't have much of a choice in the matter. He wouldn't forgive her if she ordered him to accompany her to Windhelm, it would be an abuse of her power.

"Very well," she replied softly. "But promise that this time you'll return to me and I'll hear from you?"

Aventus reached out, taking her hand and squeezing it gently. "Leola, I promise," he said to her. "I am not disappearing again. You have my word." And as his dark eyes gazed intently at her, Leola knew that this promise was one to believe.


	4. Chapter 4

"In the early hours of the morning, Leola and her men finally arrived back in Windhelm. She left her horse at the stables and hurried to the palace, eager to see Erith. As quietly as she could, she crept into the palace and made her way to her bedroom. When she got there, sure enough, Erith was asleep on the large bed.

She looked beautiful, her long brown hair splayed loosely about and a peaceful expression on her face. Leola almost didn't want to wake her - but it had been too long since she'd last seen her, and she could wait no longer.

"Erith," she whispered, going and laying on her side of the bed. She slid one arm around Erith's waist, nuzzling the back of her shoulder. "Erith, wake up."

Slowly, the Breton stirred, and Erith's brown eyes soon found Leola's. "Leola?" she mumbled, still mostly asleep.

"I'm home!" Leola said softly. "And more importantly, you're home!"

"Now you decide to show up," Erith muttered, and Leola felt a frown come to her lips.

"What do you mean?" she asked softly.

"Oh, you know what I mean," Erith said. "I got home and waited for you to get back. And I waited, and I waited, and when I was finally too tired to wait for you any longer, I came to bed. I wanted to see you, Leola."

"I know, Erith, but it was important!"

"Everything's important with you," Erith said. "Everything except me, that is."

"That's not true-"

"Save it, Leola, I don't want to hear it. Goodnight."

"But Erith-"

"I said goodnight."

Leola was quiet for a moment, her arm still looped around Erith's waist. She sighed softly, taking her arm back and laying on her back with her head on the pillow. She was quiet for several long moments before turning her head to gaze at the back of Erith's head.

"I saw Aventus."

She was met with silence, and she was about to give up trying to talk any reason into Erith when she felt Erith shifting on the bed. The brunette turned to face her, her brown eyes open and alert now.

"You saw him?" she asked softly.

"Tonight," Leola replied. "That's where I was, Erith - he was in trouble and we went to rescue him."

Erith was silent for a moment. "Why didn't you tell me?" she asked finally.

"I was trying to," Leola said. "Why didn't Jorleif tell you?"

"He said he'd let you fill me in on the details," Erith replied. "Now I see why."

"And yet you didn't," Leola chastised her softly.

A sigh left Erith's lips. "I know, I know," she said. "Leola, I'm sorry. I should have let you talk."

Leola smiled. "You know I forgive you," she said, reaching over and intertwining her fingers with Erith's beneath the sheets. "I'm so happy to see you, Erith. I really am."

"I'm happy to see you too," Erith replied, smiling. "But we can be happy to see one another in the morning. I'm exhausted."

"That makes two of us," Leola replied. "I fought against Imperials, Erith! It was incredible. My first real fight since I started training with Caelia."

"Ah, yes, Caelia," Erith murmured with a slight nod, and Leola sighed.

"Erith, please," she said. "You just got home, I don't want to fight."

"And I don't want you being trained by that Imperial whore, but it looks like we're both going to be disappointed," Erith replied.

"She's not an Imperial whore!" Leola exclaimed. "She's an accomplished soldier and an excellent trainer. And she has a husband back in Whiterun!"

"Leola, we've been over this countless times," Erith said. "I want her gone. But you keep her around. It's like I said, you don't care about me one bit."

"Erith, I love-"

"Save it, Leola."

With that, the brunette moved to get up off the bed. Immediate fear began to seep into Leola's heart and she sat bolt upright. "Erith, where are you going?"

"I'm leaving, Leola," replied Erith, and Leola could see how coldly her lover glared at her even in the darkened bedchamber. "I can't deal with this any more. I'm going back to the College."

"Deal with this? Erith, we're just going through a rough patch, we can-"

"Leola!" exclaimed Erith, sounded exasperated. "Our entire relationship this last little while has been a rough patch! We can't agree on anything. We never stop fighting. You never have time for me - no, you never make time for me. When was the last time you sat down and asked me about how my work is going, hmm? All you ever talk about is your life as the Queen. I don't want to be with the Queen, I just want to be with Leola, the sweet, innocent girl I met a couple years ago. But apparently, she doesn't exist any more."

"Erith-"

"I said to save it. I'm going back to the College. Don't write me."

With that, Erith grabbed her bag and left the room, and Leola was all alone in the darkness. Tears filled her eyes as she gazed in the direction her lover - former lover? - had gone, wondering whether she'd ever hold her, kiss her, or even see her again.

When the sun came up, Leola was still awake - or she was awake again, she wasn't even sure. Her sleep through the night had been restless and fitful. She was utterly silent as she dressed herself, only barely noticing the small piece of paper that was resting upon her window ledge. Was it from Erith? That thought was the only thing that drew her to it, hoping that it would be a note from Erith. An apology, an expression of regret, a desire to see Leola again - anything. When the young Queen unfolded it, though, she was disappointed to see the word 'Hjerim' written in unfamiliar writing, and nothing more.

She started to leave, but then her disappointment gave way to curiosity. Was somebody asking to meet her at Hjerim? And who could it be? It certainly wasn't Aventus, since she recognized his writing from having seen it time and time again, but maybe one of his people? Cassius or Minot, or even his new recruit, Miloish? Leola knew that their writing would be unfamiliar to her.

Though Leola had already emptied Hjerim of most of her mother's belongings and moved them into the palace, the house still remained in her possession. She used it as a guest house when she had company over for any extended length of time, and some people would rent it out as a vacation home or a temporary residence whilst in the city. Leola liked to reinvest the income she got out of Hjerim into improvements for the city.

She decided to check Hjerim first, to see who her mystery meeting would be, and then to return to the palace for some food. She wasn't looking forward to telling Farkand or Jorleif where Erith had gone, but Jorleif was waiting for her in the throne room, making confrontation inevitable.

"Your majesty," he said, holding out a scroll, "this came for you early this morning. It is from Lady Torygga."

"Is it?" asked Leola, surprised. She took the scroll, quickly unwraveling it.

"Your majesty, High Queen Leola;

"I apologize for writing to you on such short notice. I am presently on my way to Windhelm and hoped that I could stay in the palace as your guest during my time there. It should not be a long stay. My daughter has fallen ill - not fatally, she is simply uncomfortable and quite upset all the time - and Vivienne recommended that I seek out a medication from the White Phial in your city, one which she has yet been unable to replicate.

"I should arrive within a day or two of your receiving this letter. I look forward to seeing you again; it has been too long.

"Most sincerely;

"Lady Torygga.

Leola curiously quirked an eyebrow as she read it, looking up at Jorleif. "Are we certain that this came from Torygga?" Leola had never received couriers from Torygga before. They'd met at her coronation, and then news of Torygga's childbirth had come through hearsay only. Leola had been told by Erith that Torygga had given birth to twins, a boy and a girl. Leola had sent them a package containing a gift - a set of blocks that she'd had custom made with the Dovah alphabet on one side and the regular alphabet and sounds on the other side - as well as a letter congratulating her, and inquiring as to what their names were and when they'd been born. She'd wanted to send a birthday gift, but with no way of knowing when their birthday would be, she felt it inappropriate. They must have been over a year old now, if not more - after all, she'd been heavily pregnant a year and a half ago at the coronation.

"Your majesty, I doubt that somebody would falsely write to you saying that Torygga intended to visit," said Jorleif, sounding rather irritated with Leola's disbelief. "I suppose we shall have our answer in a day or so when we see whether or not she arrives?"

"That is true," Leola said with a nod. "Now, I must be on my way - if I don't return within an hour or so, come and fetch me or send a guard, please? I'll be at Hjerim, just a brief meeting I hope."

"Will you not have breakfast first?" he asked, but she shook her head.

"No, I'll return for breakfast," she replied. "I shouldn't be long!"

With that, she turned and left. Keeping busy would be the best way to keep the Erith matter off her mind for now. Had they broken up? She couldn't be sure. What she did know was that someone wished to meet her at Hjerim, and having left her a note overnight meant that they should be there this morning. She just hoped that it was Erith.

Nobody had rented the place out, so Leola still had the key. She unlocked the door, and even her sadness couldn't fight away the smile that came to her face. She had so many mixed memories of this place, but over the last two years, she'd come to see it as a good place, a happy place. A place where she could be close to her mother, even.

"Hello?" she called out in a gentle voice. Whoever had left her that note had managed to get it on her window ledge without anyone noticing, so she had no doubt that they'd have found a way into the house on their own.

"Hello," answered a voice, and from around the corner emerged an Altmer man with piercing blue eyes and messy black hair. A gasp left Leola's lips when she saw him.

"Nericano?"


	5. Chapter 5

The Altmer let out a light chuckle at Leola's surprised reaction, running a hand through his dark hair. "Yes, your majesty," he said, offering a sweeping bow. "Finally, I have returned to Windhelm."

"I can't believe you're here," Leola said softly. She walked up to him, lifting a hand and placing it on his cheek as if to check whether or not he was real. She'd seen him only in her dreams, yet here he was. Then, she leaned in and wrapped her arms around him. He seemed taken aback, but then hugged her in return. Some things never change, and Leola had always been a hugger.

"It pleases me that you are so pleased to see me," he said as they drew back from the hug. He placed his hands gently on her upper arms, gazing intently into her eyes. "You are more beautiful in person, your majesty."

"Why are you here?" Leola asked softly. "I've found Aventus, he-"

"Yes, I know," Nericano said with a nod. He turned away from her, walking over to the kitchen table and running a finger across the surface. "He was trying to protect you from Imperials who were trying, in turn, to make you abdicate that throne of yours."

"Yes, that's right," Leola said. "How did you find that out? Did you meet with Larethia?"

"No," he replied. "I found another lead of my own. Followed it here, just in time to encounter Aventus on his way away from the town. I couldn't resist the chance to speak to him, though he didn't seem so interested in speaking with me."

"From what I've heard, nobody's interested in speaking with your kind," Leola replied. "You know I've never heard anything good about the Thalmor."

"Of course, you are the daughter of Ulfric Stormcloak," he said with a nod. "My people tortured your father. But you know that you are safe with me."

"I know that," she said softly, smiling up at him. "You've never been anything but a friend. Why are you here, though? You never come to see me."

"I simply thought that it was time," he replied. "With your friend found, and the Imperial forces trying to regain control of Skyrim, I thought that you would soon need my aid. The Thalmor may be aligned with the Empire, but Skyrim belongs to you, and my companions overstep their boundaries aiding the Empire in this matter."

"Of course," Leola replied softly. "Do you intend to stay, then?"

"For as long as you'll have me. I trust that you can arrange some sort of lodging for me during my stay?"

"You could live here in Hjerim. I've company coming for a short time in the next couple of days and she will be staying in the palace guest room. If you are here for an extended time, Hjerim is the only place that makes sense."

"Well, then," he said with a dazzling grin, "it will be an honour to remain in the Last Dragonborn's own home. Now, I will get settled - have you not another Queen to entertain?"

Leola immediately felt her cheery mood dissipate at the reminder of Erith's absence. A sigh left her lips and she looked away. "Erith and I got into a fight last night," she said softly. "She left. Said she was going back to the College."

"Really? How peculiar," he said, shaking his head. "If it helps at all, your majesty, just know that if you were mine, I would wish to never be apart from you. If she really wishes to be without you, then she is a fool undeserving of your love."

Leola only smiled somewhat at his comments, shaking her head. "We've been through so much. I don't know how she can just throw it all away."

"She's lost sight of what really matters," Nericano said. "Give her time. Perhaps she will return to you when she remembers how important your love is."

"Do you think so?" she asked softly, and he nodded, a sincere look in his sharp blue eyes.

"If she's smart, of course," he said. "I will come to the palace when I am needed, your majesty. I will see you around?"

"You will now," she said, smiling. "It's good to have you here, Nericano. Most of my friends have left me, so I appreciate you being here."

"I don't know why they would leave," he said, shaking his head.

"Aventus is off...I don't know, protecting me. My friend Bottar returned to his life as a merchant after I became Queen, Erith has gone to the College...my friend Shelur, she's an Orc, has returned home to marry…"

"You are on good terms with the Orsimer, then?" he asked, sounding surprised.

"Very," Leola said with a nod. "When they have troubles or need anything they write to me, or Shelur comes by, and I help. In return, if I've a concern regarding them, or if I've anything to do that I fear may interfere with their way of living or encroach upon their land, I contact them about it. It's an excellent system."

"Then I hope that I will be to my people what Shelur is to hers - a liaison to you, a way of keeping my people happy while you are Queen."

"You will," she said. "Now, I really should be getting back. I will inform my steward that you are here so that he does not attempt to rent the place out."

"When you do," said Nericano, catching her by the arm gently, "please don't tell him that I am from the Thalmor. My beliefs may not be the same as the rest of my organization, but I am sure that he will not see that."

"Understood," Leola said with a nod. "I'll be on my way now. I'll see you around."

"And I, you."

Leola left Hjerim feeling more confused and conflicted than she had the first time she'd been to the house. She didn't know how she should feel. Part of her was excited about seeing Aventus again. Part of her was broken over what had happened with Erith. Part of her was pleased to have seen Nericano in person for the first time. Part of her was dreading Torygga's visit. For now, she just had to carry on as usual, and hopefully her problems would sort themselves out.

When Leola got back to the palace, Aventus was there. He was sitting as casually as could be in a spot at the table, as if his presence was still a normal matter. Farkand was eyeing him suspiciously from the other side of the room.

"Aventus!" said Leola, walking over to where he sat.

"Welcome home, your majesty," he said with a light laugh. He didn't stand up, so when Leola reached him, she simply stood behind him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

"I'm happy that you're here," she said. "But why are you here?"

"I've been thinking," he replied, leaning back against her. It felt so good to be hugging Aventus again. "I think you're right. I don't want to just disappear. Being with you last night reminded me of how important you are to me. You're one of my closest friends, and I want to be part of your life again, if you'll have me."

"Of course I will, Aventus," she said softly. "I'd offer you a position as my right hand man, but it's already taken."

"I know," Aventus replied, giving Farkand a curt nod. "And he doesn't seem fond of me."

"I do not wish to question my Queen, but I do wonder at her deep friendship with an assassin of the Dark Brotherhood," said Farkand from his place across the room.

"He's saved my life more times than you have," Leola said. Aventus snickered, and they both saw the flush coming to Farkand's cheeks at the Queen's words.

"I have an odd question for you, Leola," said Aventus, looking up at her.

"What is it?" she asked softly.

"You remember the twins, Britte and Sissel?"

Leola shuddered at the mere mention of their names. "Yes, unfortunately," she replied.

"Somebody performed the Black Sacrament. They want them dead - both of them. And they're paying a lot of money. The problem is, Britte has two children, and -"

"Wait, two children?" asked Leola quickly, cutting him off. "I thought that she had the one daughter? Eydis?"

"Eydis and Idela," he replied. "She had the second one a few months after your coronation, I believe. No idea who the father is."

"Hmm," Leola murmured. "So the question is, what should happen to her children if something happens to her?"

"I was thinking that you and Erith might be interested in adopting them," Aventus said, and Leola bit her lip, pulling her arms away from Aventus and taking a step back.

"About that…" she said in a soft voice, and he turned around, raising an eyebrow. He shifted his legs so that he could face her.

"What happened?" he asked in a low voice.

"Erith left," Leola said softly. Immediately, tears started to come to her eyes. "We got in a big fight last night, she said she was going back to the College...she said she didn't want me to write to her again…"

"Oh, Leola," breathed Aventus, standing up quickly and coming forward for a hug. When he pulled Leola into his arms, she broke down in tears, burying her face in his shoulder and sobbing. As strange as it was, it felt good to be crying on his shoulder once again. Farkand didn't exactly lend his shoulder to her tears. "I'm sorry," said Aventus. "I didn't know, I wouldn't have said anything-"

"No, it's alright," Leola sniffled, pulling back to look up into his dark eyes. "You had no way of knowing. Besides, even if she was here…" Leola paused, glancing around. "I don't think we're ready for a child yet, let alone two. Erith's always gone at the College, and I've all my royal duties… we'd need a nanny or something, and I'd much rather raise my children myself."

"Of course," Aventus said with a nod. "Then should I arrange transportation for the children to the orphanage when the deed is done?"

"I suppose that would be best," Leola replied softly. "Maybe ask Sofie if she'd like to take them in. Sofie was an orphan on the streets, she'd understand - and now she's a fantastic mother. I'm sure she'd be delighted to take in two more."

"I hadn't thought of that," Aventus murmured thoughtfully. "I'll ask Sofie. Leola, I'm so sorry about Erith. Do you want me to talk to her?"

"If she'll listen to you," Leola replied, again sniffling slightly. "It's been a long time."

"Don't worry," Aventus said, placing a gentle hand on her cheek. "I'll see what I can do. I should get going now - business calls - but I'll be back. I promise you this time that I'll be back."

Leola nodded slightly, smiling up at him. "I believe you," she said softly. He'd said it the last time and she'd believed him then, but this time, she was sure of it. She believed him when he said that he'd learned his lesson and that he'd remembered how important their friendship was to him. She believed that he'd come back.

When Aventus was gone, Leola turned to Farkand. "I promise," she said, "Aventus is a good man and a dear friend. You have nothing to worry about with him."

"It's not often you see an assassin of the Dark Brotherhood waltzing about," said Farkand, shaking his head slightly. "I know we went last night to save him and all, but I suppose it's only just now that all the pieces are starting to come together. It's just odd to me."

"You'll come to love him," she said with a grin. "Galmar did."

"Do you miss Galmar?" Farkand asked, and Leola sighed, nodding.

"I do," she replied. "He would tell me stories about my parents...he kept me close to them, even though they're both gone."

"Perhaps you should pay them a visit," Farkand said, smiling. "I'm sure they would love to see you."

Leola smiled to herself, nodding. "I suppose so," she said. "Maybe I'll go in the morning. I've got some letters to write, and then I'm going to take a nap - if you see Jorleif, can you have him put together some flowers for me to take to them? Oh, and can you let him know that I have somebody staying in Hjerim for an indefinite amount of time?"


	6. Chapter 6

In one hand, the young Queen clutched a bouquet comprised of crimson Nirnroot, dragon's tongue, and some yellow mountain flowers. In the other hand was a bouquet of deathbells, nightshade, purple mountain flowers, and a couple of gleamblossoms. She was standing before the door that led into the crypt where her parents laid, within the Hall of the Dead.

Ulfric hadn't wanted the Dragonborn's body to be buried in the graveyard, where filthy grave-robbers could easily get at it, so instead he'd had a crypt built for her coffin. When he'd died, Leola and Galmar had laid him beside her in a coffin similar to hers. They'd had to contact the Greybeards regarding translations, since they didn't know what the writing on the Dragonborn's coffin meant and they wanted something similar for Ulfric. It had been a whole ordeal, but now, the pair were united, and at peace.

Hesitantly, Leola tucked the dragon's tongue bouquet into the crook of her elbow so she could push open the door. The priestess of Arkay was nowhere to be seen, but Leola figured that she'd probably been made aware that Leola would visit. The Queen would want her privacy with her parents, after all.

Once inside, she headed through the door that led to the crypt where her parents were kept. It wasn't a large room - just big enough for the two coffins, a bench, and some shelves where things could be stored. Leola grabbed two vases from the shelves, dusting them off quickly before putting the flowers in. She set the dragon's tongue bouquet on her father's coffin, and the nightshade one on her mother's.

"Mother, father," she said in a soft voice, moving to sit on the small bench and gaze at the coffins. She still didn't understand the mysterious words that were written on them. "I wish you were both still here. I miss you so much, and I never really know if I'm making the right decisions or not. Ruling, being a Queen...it's all so much. I don't know if I'm doing well or not, but I hope I am."

Leola went quiet for a few moments, hanging her head. Loose blonde curls fell in her face, and she heaved a soft sigh. It was taking all of her self control not to start crying. She missed both of her parents so much. She'd been raised and loved by her mother, but never had a chance to get to know the Dragonborn. As for her father, she'd had so little time with him. She felt as if she'd been robbed of knowing her parents for who they really were - the great warriors who had saved Skyrim together.

"I hope that you're looking down on me from Sovngarde and that you're both proud of me...that's all I could possibly ask of you," she continued in a quiet voice. "When Galmar was here, he helped me. He always knew what decisions you would have made, father, and he advised me well...but now he's gone. I hope that Farkand was the right choice - I think you would have liked him, father. He's a good man."

She paused, thinking back to when she had hired Farkand. He'd been one of the city guards who'd joined up shortly after her father's death, wanting to do what he could to serve Skyrim's new High Queen. They'd gotten along well, and after Galmar had died, Leola had asked Farkand to take his place. If Aventus had been around, she would have asked him, but how could she?

"I wish I knew what to do about Erith. We've grown apart so much lately, and now she's gone. She says she doesn't want to hear from me again, but does she really mean that? How can I know? Is she just angry, and she'll cool down later, or is this it for us? I love her so much - you know how much I love her. I can't imagine losing her. And if this is it for us...what do I do next? How do I find love again? Nobody's been through as much with me as she has. She was there for me through everything, but now she can't handle it any more…"

Tears began to fill the young Queen's blue eyes, and she stopped talking to wipe them dry. She didn't want to cry, but it was hard to avoid between having lost her lover and being at the coffins of her parents. She took a few minutes to compose herself, remaining silent.

"I just...I wish you were here. I feel like I'm doing everything wrong, even though everyone keeps telling me that I'm doing alright. I just don't know any more. And now Aventus says that the Empire is trying to creep back in, and I refuse to let them take Skyrim back, not after how hard you both fought to gain control of it… I just want to make you both proud. I want to make you proud, and I want to be a good ruler, and I want to keep my people safe and happy…"

Again, her voice trailed off as she felt the tears welling up. With a sniffle, she wiped them away again. She had no way of knowing whether her parents could even hear what she was saying, or whether they could see her from where they were up in Sovngarde, but she liked to think that they could. Finally, once she had regained her composure again, she lifted her gaze back up towards the ornate stone coffins.

"I miss you," she said softly, slowly standing up. "And I love you both. I hope you're proud of me."

Satisfied, she turned and quietly left. She made sure to close the door behind her, and she left the Hall of the Dead, emerging into the graveyard. She was quiet, glancing around for a few moments as she contemplated what to do next. She decided to return to the palace and regroup for a bit, then figure it out from there.

She reached the palace just in time to see a group of guards escorting Torygga towards the castle. She was carrying two small children in her arms, a little boy and a little girl. The boy was screaming his little head off, and Torygga looked both frustrated and exhausted. A smile came to Leola's lips and she hurried forward.

"Lady Torygga, your timing is impeccable - I just got back," she said, approaching the other young woman.

"Yes, just perfect," Torygga replied, sounding both distracted and insincere. "Maybe can - can you hold her for a moment? Just a moment, he won't stop crying and I want him to stop." Without letting Leola answer, Torygga shifted as if to hand off the little girl to the Queen. Leola carefully reached out, taking the girl into her arms. She was adorable, with brown eyes and thicky, curly dark hair. She gazed curiously up at Leola, reaching up to touch the Queen's face.

"Aren't you just a beauty, yes you are! What a sweet little face you have," Leola cooed, grinning. She didn't have a lot of experience with babies, but she knew that this one was a cute one. "What's your name, little one, hmm? I'm sure your mummy gave you a beautiful name to match your beautiful little face."

"Her name is well-behaved," Torygga muttered sourly. "And this one here, this one is not-so-well-behaved. Shh, honey, stop crying, please? Pretty please?" She was bouncing the baby on her hip, but he continued to wail. A few of the guards were looking annoyed.

"Let's get you into your chambers," Leola said. "I can take her if you'd like, let you focus on him for a bit and try to calm him down."

"Right, I forgot that you were also a parenting expert, aren't you? Queen supreme, that's you." Torygga said nothing more, instead hurried off after the guard who had been designated to take her to her room. The others carried her bags, and looked curiously towards Leola. The Queen shrugged.

"I don't know," she said. "I'm inclined to think that motherhood doesn't suit her."

A few of the guards chuckled, and the group of them began to head inside.

Leola spent most of the afternoon with the little girl. Once Torygga had gone into her room, she barely came out. The crying had stopped, so whatever Torygga was doing, it had to be working. Maybe she just didn't want to come out - Leola had always sensed some hostility from her, so perhaps Torygga just didn't want to deal with the Queen. Maybe the baby was having a nap, and Torygga was afraid to leave in case she woke him, or in case he woke up and she wasn't there. It was an unfamiliar place, after all.

Whatever the case was, Leola didn't mind one bit. She was enjoying playing with Torygga's little girl. She was a sweet, bright, inquisitive little baby who didn't seem to have an unhappy bone in her body. She would point at people who walked by and coo, and Leola would tell her what their names were. She'd then gurgle, and Leola suspected that it was her trying to repeat the names back, though her speech was nowhere near advanced enough for that.

Farkand came by and chuckled, amused by the sight of the young Queen with the baby. He watched her for a few minutes, apparently enjoying seeing how she interacted with the little girl. "Motherhood would suit you," he remarked before he left. Leola sighed softly. She knew that - she and Erith had always talked about how one day, they'd adopt children from the orphanage since they couldn't have kids of their own. They had, at one point, contemplated the idea of paying a man to father their children for them so they could still be related by blood, but Erith had shuddered at the thought, and Leola hadn't thought it quite fair to either of them. They'd decided to stick with their adoption idea - at least until now.

Maybe she should have taken up Aventus's offer of taking Eydis and Idela from Britte. The woman was obviously not a competent mother, from what Leola had seen, and she'd be dead soon anyways. A dead mother was certainly no longer a competent one - maybe she had been in life, but not any more.

A courier came by later on with some letters for her. She graciously took them, setting them on the table and sitting down with the little girl. "Shall we open some mail, sweetheart? Let's see what people have to say to me," she said, setting the girl on one of her knees so that she could work with her arms around the girl. Impressively, the girl managed to keep her little hands to herself, just watching as Leola opened the letters.

The first was from Jarl Glovald of Markarth, inviting her to a small banquet at his palace. She smiled, always happy to hear from him. He was a good man, and she had become good friends with his Elienne. They'd married since she became Queen, and it had been a beautiful wedding. Leola had been honoured to attend.

Next was a letter from Aventus. Leola was surprised to see it, and quick to open it. It was a short letter - all it said on the inside was, _"It's half-done."_ It didn't take long to figure out what that meant - he must have been referring to the twins, stating that one was dead, but the other was not. She wondered which one he hadn't yet killed, and why. After all, if his job was to kill both, why would he stop halfway through to write a letter to Leola telling her that he was half done? Something must have happened - perhaps she'd escaped, or they'd been apart and he had to track the second twin down.

She tossed that one away, thinking that it was probably not a wise letter to have lying around. She would wait a bit to see if she heard from him again, and if not, she'd reach out. A small gurgle from the lips of the baby in her lap had her laughing softly, bouncing her knee with the baby resting on it.

"What's that? You're not hungry, are you?" she asked, smiling. "Let's just finish going through my mail, and then we'll go and see what's keeping your mother and brother. Strange, she'd said that you were sick, but you seem fine to me."

The last letter bore the seal of the College of Winterhold, which seemed curious to Leola. Why would somebody be writing to her from the college? She opened the letter quickly, unfolding it and reading the hastily scrawled letter.

 _"Your most royal majesty, High Queen Leola Stormcloak of Skyrim;_

 _"I reach out to you with this correspondence on a more personal note than should generally be applied when addressing the High Queen, but I hope that you can forgive me. Early this morning, Lady Erith returned to the College not even a day after leaving to join you in Windhelm. She seemed quite upset, crying as she came in, and she refused to tell anybody what was the matter. She has been locked in her bedroom ever since, and we can only hope that you might be able to shed some light on the situation._

 _"As her friends and coworkers, we all care deeply for Erith, and cannot understand what may have transpired to upset her so. We implore you, your majesty - if you know what has happened, please have it in your heart to let us know. We want only the best for her, and we cannot help her if we do not know what has happened._

 _"Yours sincerely and with admiration;_

 _"Faralda, Arch-Mage of the College of Winterhold"_

Leola sighed softly as she read the letter. "This one warrants a reply, I think," she said in a soft voice. "But first, let's go see what's keeping your mother. Your company is an absolute delight, sweet child, but surely I cannot feed you," she continued, laughing as she lifted the baby onto her hip and stood up from the table. At that moment, Farkand wandered in, smiling again as he saw Leola with the baby.

"Would you like me to do anything with your letters, your majesty?" he asked, gesturing towards the table.

"If you could get me some paper and ink to write a response, it would be appreciated," Leola replied, smiling. "I was just going to take this little one to go looking for her mother. I think she's hungry, and there's not much I can do about it."

"Of course - I understand, your majesty," he replied, heading off to fetch the paper and ink for her. Contemplating what exactly she intended to write to Faralda, she headed in the direction of the guest rooms. Upon reaching the room that had been prepared for Torygga, she lifted a hand and knocked.

"Lady Torygga?" she asked in a soft voice. She waited a moment, and then the door opened. Torygga stood behind it, looking exhausted. Her blue eyes were drooping, her blonde hair was untidy, and there was a frustrated frown on her lips.

"I got him to sleep," Torygga mumbled. "Then had a nap myself - I'm sorry I left you with her so long."

"Oh, she was no trouble at all," Leola said, smiling. "She's an absolute darling. I had an idea that I thought you might like - there's a woman here in town, her name is Sofie. She has a baby of her own and she's a spectacular mother. Why don't we invite her up to the palace to babysit for the evening? You deserve a night off, you're obviously exhausted and overworked. I'll pay her for the service - you don't have to worry about a thing. What do you say?"

Torygga stared at her for a moment. "You'd...you'd do that for me?" she asked in a soft voice.

"Of course," Leola replied. "I know that you have something of a familial grudge against me, but I want us to be friends. I really do."

Torygga was silent, glancing down at her bare feet before returning her gaze to Leola's. "Alright," she said softly. "It's an excellent idea, really. I - thank you, your majesty. This means a lot."

"I'm always happy to help," Leola said. "Anything you want to do this evening, we'll do it."

"Perhaps we could just...sit down for a drink or two? The two of us. Sit and talk - I know this won't come as a surprise to you, but I don't really have many friends back in Solitude, my mother is the only person I have to talk to...she helps and all, but I know she's not happy about the fact that I had the twins…"

"Of course we can sit and talk," Leola replied. "If you have things you need to let out, I'm happy to lend an ear. Why don't I go and get Sofie from town, and while I'm gone, you can feed your daughter, or whatever it is that she needs - I'm not sure, she was just making some odd noises and I thought it was best to consult you."

Torygga laughed softly, opening her arms for the baby. "That doesn't surprise me," she said as Leola handed the little girl over. "She's been unwell, hence the need to come here for medicine. It's nothing dangerous, she's just been uncomfortable, and sometimes she just needs a cuddle."

"She's a beautiful child, and quite well-behaved," Leola remarked, and Torygga nodded.

"She is," she agreed softly. "I couldn't imagine if she was anything like her brother. I love them both to death, but Anders is something of a little nightmare at times."

"Anders, yes. I remember the name - you mentioned that it was your choice boy name when we talked at my coronation," Leola said, and Torygga nodded.

"Yes, I did, didn't I?" she said. She leaned in close to her daughter, planting a kiss on the baby's nose. "And this one, this one was my little surprise, weren't you honey? Mama wasn't expecting there to be two of you. Now, I should probably get to feeding her while you find your friend - thank you again, Leola."

"It's my pleasure," Leola replied, and Torygga turned her attention to her daughter. As Leola turned and began to walk away down the hall, she heard Torygga addressing the baby from behind her.

"Come on in, baby girl. My sweet Lorelette, let's get you fed and ready for your babysitter!"


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Hi guys! This one feels a bit early only because the last one was a bit late. My apologies for that. I've started school, so between being in school full-time and working part-time, I've been getting pretty busy/distracted and mixed up on my days.**

 **If anyone is interested in reading it, I've published a short story on my Leola Stormcloak Tumblr blog. It's a story about Leola's mother entitled 'A wish to change her fate'. I'm hoping to write and post lots of these short stories, following all different parts of the timeline - stories about Ulfric and the Dragonborn, stories about Leola's childhood, stories about Leola and her friends that run parallel to the main story, smutty stuff - so let me know what you guys think!**

* * *

Leola was in her chambers, knelt over a chamber pot and throwing up. The last thing she'd expected after talking to Torygga was to see her lunch again, but she also hadn't expected to hear what she'd heard.

 _Lorelette._ She knew that name. It was the name that Mehrunes Dagon had told her. She could still remember his words as clear as day, as if they'd talked just yesterday.

" _One day, one day soon, you will meet a girl. Her name will be Lorelette."_

" _...And?"_

" _And I want you to kill Lorelette."_

Leola was shaking when Farkand came in, apparently having heard her and become concerned. "Leola?" he asked, all formalities aside when he was concerned for his Queen. He hurried over, dropping to his knees beside her and putting one hand on her back. "Leola, are you alright?"

"I - I'm fine," she mumbled, shaking her head. "Can I have some water? Please?"

"Of course," Farkand replied. He got up immediately, hurrying from her room to fetch her some water. She could only hope that he wouldn't alert anybody else - the last thing she wanted was for Torygga to know that she'd become sick upon leaving her room. She had no intentions of letting the young mother down, not when she'd so wanted to drink and talk that evening.

Farkand returned with a tankard of water, which Leola drank in careful sips, sitting upon her bed. Once the taste was out of her mouth, she returned the tankard to him, but he made no move to leave.

"Did you eat something that disagreed with you?" he asked, obviously concerned. "Did someone try to poison you?"

"No," Leola said, actually laughing aloud at the last one. "No, Farkand, nobody tried to poison me."

"Then what? Something you ate?" he asked, and she shrugged.

"Probably," she said. "I feel fine now, though." It wasn't the truth - she felt as though her heart was sitting inside of her stomach, and as though she might be sick again any moment now.

"Should I advise the servants to leave you alone for some rest?" he asked, but she shook her head.

"No, no, that won't be necessary," she said. "Listen, Farkand - I promised Torygga that I'd fetch Sofie from town and have her come to the palace to babysit. Torygga needs a break, she's exhausted, and she wants to sit and talk over some drinks. This is my only chance to really make amends with her - her family's hated mine ever since my father's duel against High King Torygg, but I may be able to become her friend tonight. I know you're going to try to tell me not to go, that I should cancel and get my rest, but this is for the good of Skyrim. Please don't try to stop me."

Farkand was silent the whole time she was talking, listening. He inhaled deeply, held it, and then let it out. "Very well," he replied. "You know what I'm going to say, so there's no point in saying it. If you need anything, I will be in the throne room."

"That's where I plan on taking her anyways - I'm not heading down to the inn in this state," she said with a light laugh. "I just have to go fetch Sofie, and then I'll be back."

She left Farkand, put on her cloak, and headed into the town. Sofie's house, luckily, was not far from the palace, so Leola hurried over. When she knocked on the door, the young Nord answered, a smile on her lips.

"Your majesty!" Sofie said, offering a quick curtsy. "What an unexpected surprise. What brings you here this evening?"

"I was hoping that I could hire you to look after two children at my palace for the evening," Leola responded. "I know that you're an excellent mother, so I trust that you'd be able to take good care of them."

"Your majesty, there's nothing I love more than children - and you're in luck, because my husband is home tonight. He can watch our daughter, and I'll come watch these two are your palace - give me just a moment, your majesty, to tell him what's going on, and then I'll be right over."

Leola nodded, smiling and waiting on the doorstep as Sofie hurried back inside. She'd been surprised a year or so ago to finally find out that Sofie's husband was none other than Francois Beaufort, the captain of the very ship that had taken her and her friends to Solstheim. Nobody had mentioned it while they were aboard the ship, even though they were already married and had their baby before Leola had even come to Windhelm in the first place.

A moment later, Francois appeared at the door. He had no shirt on, and there was a bottle of mead in his hand. "Your majesty," he said with a sweeping bow. "My dear wife will be just a moment, she's fetching her shoes and a cloak."

"Of course," Leola replied softly, keeping her eyes locked on his in order to keep them from wandering downwards to his bare chest. He had muscles aplenty, and it didn't take long to get Leola thinking that maybe what she needed to get her mind off what had happened with Erith was a man. Not a relationship, no, but maybe a brief fling. She'd never been with a man before, after all, but she knew fully well that she could appreciate their assets just as well as those of a woman.

A moment later, Sofie appeared. She shared a quick kiss with the shirtless Francois before heading out with Leola, and the two headed towards the palace.

"Forgive my husband, he's been drinking and I hope he said nothing rude or crass," said Sofie, and Leola laughed, shaking her head.

"He was no trouble at all," she replied. "Francois has never been anything but a gentleman with me."

"Good," Sofie replied.

"You're sure he'll be fine to watch your daughter after having been drinking?" asked Leola.

"Of course, he'll be fine. He's a great father when he's home - she adores him. They'll probably just curl up in our bed and he'll tell her stories of the sea until she falls asleep."

"That sounds lovely," Leola said softly. "I wish my mother had told me stories about her job back when I was little."

"Your mother was remarkable. I can only imagine the kinds of stories she had to tell," Sofie replied, smiling over at Leola. "You know, back when I was an orphan on the streets here in town, I was selling flowers to get by - it wasn't much, but I was able to buy food, and sometimes Elda would take pity on me and let me sleep on the floor in Candlehearth Hall...anyways, whenever your mother in town, she would come find me - specifically come looking for me - and she'd buy all the flowers I had for sale."

Leola was silent for a moment, gazing at the ground as they walked before lifting her gaze to look back at Sofie. "She...she really did that?" she asked in a soft voice.

"She did," Sofie replied with a nod. "I always ate well when your mother was in town. She made sure of that."

The rest of the short walk back to the palace went by mostly in silence, which was a relief to Leola. After all that had happened over the past couple of days - Aventus returning, Erith leaving, and just now discovering that Torygga's small daughter was named Lorelette - she wasn't sure she wanted to make small talk with the townspeople.

When they reached the palace, Torygga was in the main hall with Lorelette and Farkand. A grin came to the blonde's face when she saw Sofie.

"You must be Sofie," she said, moving forward.

"I am," Sofie replied with a grin.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Sofie," Torygga said. "My name is Torygga - I'm Jarl Elisif's daughter. This is my little girl, Lorelette."

"She's a beauty," Sofie said. She opened her arms and Leola watched as Torygga carefully passed her daughter off to the brunette.

"She has a twin - Anders, he's asleep in my guest room right now. Farkand here will escort you there so you can stay with them," Torygga said, and Farkand gave a nod.

"Right this way, Sofie," he said. He and Sofie obviously knew one another, living in the same town, and the young mother cheerfully headed off after him with the baby in her arms. Leola and Torygga watched them go, and then Torygga turned to Leola.

"You're sure she'll be alright with the two of them?" she asked, and Leola smiled.

"Relax, it will be fine," she said. "Sofie's a mother herself, I'm sure she knows how nervous you're feeling. Come sit down, have a drink with me - whatever it is that's on your mind, feel free to talk."

"Of course, of course," Torygga said, going and sitting down. Several bottles of mead were already on the table, and both women grabbed themselves a cup and a bottle. They were silent as they poured their drinks, clicking the cups together before taking a sip. Then came a long few moments of silence.

"So…" Leola mumbled, and Torygga laughed.

"This is awkward," she said, shaking her head. "All my life I've been told that Stormcloaks are awful, that you're our enemies...but you're not your father, and I never should have assumed that you'd be the same."

"I'm not my father... but he wasn't awful either," Leola said softly, taking a drink midway through. "He just wanted what he thought was best for Skyrim."

"That may be what he thought, but he was wrong. A united Empire would be stronger. The Thalmor are still present, and still a threat - the new Emperor has done a good job resisting them so far, but would probably be able to take them down entirely with Skyrim's support.

"Are you secretly trying to petition me to offer the Empire my support against the Thalmor?" Leola asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, Talos, no," Torygga replied quickly, shaking her head. "No, no - simply offering my thoughts."

"Good," Leola said softly. "Because I probably shouldn't be telling you this, but Imperials attacked Kynesgrove."

"They - what?" Torygga asked, her eyes going wide.

"Took the townspeople captive, along with some others - including some friends of mine. Luckily one was able to get away and come here to get help. We've liberated the town, and we've got extra guards posted, but I worry that there will be more where they came from."

"Of course there will," Torygga said softly, shaking her head. "I had no idea, Leola - I'm sorry. Your friends, are they alright?"

"They are," Leola said with a nod. "Have you met Aventus Aretino?"

Torygga was quiet for a moment, glancing away before returning her gaze to Leola's. "Yes, we're...acquainted."

"He was one of the friends they took. Had him and some others trapped in the mines - so let me just say, even if the Emperor came to me himself and begged on his knees for Skyrim's aid against the Thalmor, he would be on his own."

"I can certainly understand that," Torygga replied with a nod. "Perhaps when I return I should have my mother send some guards to sweep through the smaller settlements, see if all is well."

"That would be a good idea," Leola replied, taking a long drink. "Do you mind if I ask you a question?"

"Not at all," Torygga replied, following Leola's lead and taking a drink.

"The twins - who is their father? I know you're not married, and you don't appear to be involved with anyone… so what's the story there?"

Torygga was silent for a moment. Leola was surprised that she hadn't immediately dismissed the question - instead, she seemed to be contemplating whether to answer. Torygga took up her drink, downing it in one long go before setting it down on the table. Slowly, she lifted her blue eyes to meet Leola's.

"You won't say anything, right? I really shouldn't be telling you this," she said in a soft voice.

"I won't say anything," Leola replied softly. "You can trust me, Torygga."

"That's...debatable at most," Torygga replied with a slight smile. "But very well… I'll tell you. Just don't tell anybody else...their father is Aventus Aretino."


	8. Chapter 8

_Two years ago_

"What do you mean, you lost it?"

"I don't know, mother," Torygga stammered nervously, biting her lip. "I swear, I left it on my dresser."

"Then why is it not on your dresser any longer?" asked Elisif, folding her arms over her chest.

Torygga glanced away from her mother. She could clearly picture it in her mind - the beautiful gold jeweled necklace that she had borrowed from her mother for the party two days ago. She had left it on the dresser in her bedroom, but this morning when her mother had asked her to return it, she'd been utterly unable to find it. She'd searched high and low, but it was nowhere to be found.

"I'm sorry, mother," Torygga said softly. "I can buy you a new one - I'll find one even more lovely, I can-"

"No, no," Elisif said, shaking her head and holding up her hands. "This isn't about the necklace. It's about your lack of responsibility - I trusted you with it and you've lost it. That necklace meant a lot to me...Torygg gave it to me, back when we were courting."

"I know," Torygga replied softly. "I'm sorry. I really don't know what happened to it…"

Again, the Jarl shook her head. "We'll discuss this further in the morning," she said. "In the meantime, I hope you find it - if not, we can discuss a suitable punishment."

With that, Elisif turned and left. Torygga watched her mother go before storming off to her own room, frustrated. She had not lost the necklace. It had simply vanished. She reached her room and shut the door behind her forcefully, so frustrated that she barely noticed the figure in her window.

"You seem upset."

At the sound of the male voice behind her, Torygga whipped around. Her window was wide open, and a young man dressed in black and red was sitting there on the ledge. He had his hood drawn up and the lower half of his face covered, but his dark, piercing eyes were gazing intently in her direction.

"Who are you?" she asked, her eyes widening with surprised. He looked as calm and casual as could be, leaning up against the frame of the window with one leg casually dangling off the windowsill and the other folded up to his chest.

"Aventus Aretino," he replied calmly. "I'm a friend of the Stormcloak family."

"Ah, yes, Ulfric and his new daughter," Torygga muttered, her words filled with spite. The man, Aventus, raised an eyebrow.

"You don't sound pleased at their mention," he mused.

"Of course not," Torygga replied. "Skyrim's ruler should be my mother, everyone knows that. Ulfric took that from her, as well as her first husband."

"As I seem to recall, the Dragonborn was instrumental in ensuring Ulfric's victory," Aventus said.

"Yes, and she was instrumental in ensuring he'd have a pretty little heir to take over for him," Torygga replied with a roll of her eyes. "Do you not think it odd that here he is, getting old with no heir to take over, and suddenly this girl shows up out of nowhere and claims to be his daughter?"

"The Dragonborn did confirm it to him before she died," Aventus replied. "Anyways, Torygga - I didn't come here to debate politics with you."

"A pity, I was rather enjoying it," she replied. "Took my mind off my mother - and the fact that there's a strange man in my window."

"I'm not a stranger, we're friends now," Aventus said, and though she couldn't see much of his face, she knew that he was smirking beneath that mask. "What's the matter with your mother? Is she the one who's got you up here slamming doors?"

"She let me borrow a necklace of hers and it went missing. She thinks it's my fault and that I lost it," Torygga replied. She moved to sit down on her bed. She'd felt a sense of comfort with Aventus, despite the fact that he was a strange man who'd crept into her window somehow. She wasn't even sure how he got in - her room was on an upper floor in the Blue Palace, so unless he'd come in through the palace, he'd have had to scale the wall.

"Oh, that's a pity," Aventus said. "You know, I found a necklace earlier - maybe it'll cheer her up?" He lifted a hand, and from beneath his sleeve tumbled the violet gems of Elisif's necklace, dangling from his hand. Torygga's eyes widened.

"That's it!" she exclaimed. She jumped up from her bed and rushed forward to take it from him, but he lifted it into one hand and shifted positions so that he sat facing her, both legs within the room and the necklace in one hand behind his back.

"Now, now, not so fast," he mused, his face close to hers with how quickly she'd come towards him. She felt a warmth come to her cheeks and she quickly backed up a few steps.

"That's not yours, you thief," Torygga said. "Give it back and I won't call the palace guards."

"If you call the guards, then the necklace and I will be long gone before they get here," he replied. "I'm willing to make a deal, Torygga, and I don't drive a hard bargain. This'll be the easiest deal you make in your life."

"What is it?" Torygga asked. With his free hand, Aventus lowered the part of his hood that covered his face, and then drew back the rest of the hood. He was handsome, and Torygga had to hold back a slight gasp at seeing him. He had dark hair that looked neatly tousled, and a good-looking face with a sly smile dancing on his lips.

"Tell me three good reasons not to kill you and you can have the necklace back - oh, and your life," he said, slowly standing up.

"W-what?" Torygga stammered, her eyes going wide. "Why would you kill me in the first place?"

"Well," he replied, putting his hands on his hips, "right now your life is dancing around the prospects of money and duty for me - as an agent of the Dark Brotherhood, with the Black Sacrament performed, I'm supposed to kill you. My duty. And as if that wasn't enough reason, they'll pay me for it."

"Someone...someone wants you to kill me?" Torygga asked, taking a frightened step back. "Who? Why?"

"Can't tell you," he replied with a shrug. "That's where you come in. Help me find three reasons not to kill you, and I won't. And I'll throw in the necklace, too."

"I - oh, alright," Torygga mumbled, biting her lip. She wasn't sure she could quite think straight with how scared she was, but she had to - her life depended on it. "Don't kill me because...I'm a good person."

"That's a bit ambiguous for my liking," he said, smirking. He seated himself on her bed, while she remained at the far side of the room almost against the wall. "Try again - be more specific."

"I'm kind," Torygga said softly.

"Do you know Noster Eagle-Eye?" asked Aventus.

"Whom?" asked Torygga, and Aventus smirked.

"Exactly," he said. "A Jarl's kind daughter should surely know the beggars in her city, should she not? Keep trying."

Torygga began to think frantically. "I, er - I'm good at playing music," she said.

"In Solitude, that's nothing special. Bards are a dime a dozen. Give me a lute, I'm sure I can strum out a half-decent tune," Aventus replied.

"P-please don't kill me," Torygga stammered. Her hand inched towards the door, and Aventus chuckled.

"You're safe as long as you don't concede," he said. He patted the spot beside him on the bed. "Sit with me. You have my word - until you give up, I'm not going to do anything."

Torygga was silent for a moment. There was an earnesty in his eyes, though - and she felt that same sense of safety coming to her from earlier, before he'd revealed himself as an assassin sent to kill her. Tentatively, she moved forwards. When he made no move towards her, she slowly made her way to the bed and sat down beside him on the edge.

"I'm patient," she said in a soft voice. "That's a virtue."

"It is," Aventus said with a nod. "I'm also patient. See me here, playing this game with you when I could just kill you, be done with it, and get my payment?"

"If I win this game, what do you get out of it?" Torygga asked softly. "You lose your contract on my life and your payment, and you can't even sell my mother's necklace because you'll have returned it."

"My reasons are my own," Aventus replied. "You're inquisitive."

"Is that a good enough reason to spare me?"

Aventus smirked slightly, contemplating it for a second. "It could be," he replied. "That's one. You need three."

"I'm young," Torygga said softly. "I have my whole life ahead of me."

"So did many of the men your mother and General Tullius sent to fight the Stormcloak soldiers," Aventus replied. "Men they essentially sent to die, especially once the Dragonborn came into play. Does youth really matter in the grand scheme of things?"

Torygga sighed, shrugging. "I suppose not," she said. "How about my mother's wrath when she finds out you killed me? I'm sure that's a good enough reason to not do it."

"She'll never know it was me," he said. "By Sithis, Torygga, she never even needs to know you're dead. I can do it clean - no mess in your bedroom - and be gone with your body. You're in a fight with her right now, are you not? Let her think you've run away, and I'll have my bounty and be content."

Torygga shuddered. It was odd to see this handsome man, so cheerful and jovial, yet murmuring such dark things to her. He really was handsome. Under different circumstances, she might have been willing to flirt with him.

"What about the Stormcloaks?" she asked. "You said that you were friends - do they know that you go around killing people for money?"

"They do," he said with a nod. "They're quite alright with it. I even got Princess Leola out of your mother's silly little contract a few months back."

"My mother's contract?" she asked, and he nodded.

"Of course," he said. "Your mother performed the Black Sacrament-"

"No, she didn't."

"She did," he replied, gazing intently into her eyes. "When she learned that King Ulfric had a daughter who could be his heir, she wanted her gone. The child of the Dragonborn would surely be a powerful child indeed, and putting her on the throne of Skyrim? Lady Elisif wanted nothing to do with it. She'd been hoping to wait for Ulfric to eventually die and then to convince the other Jarls to restore her to the throne, but with Leola in the picture, that changed things."

Torygga stared at him, her eyes wide. She could feel tears stinging the backs of her eyes, but she fought them.

Gently, Aventus lifted a hand. He laid it softly on her cheek, his brown eyes looking deep into her blue ones. "You're innocent," he said to her in a low voice. "You're just a girl who's trying to live your life in this hard, dark world, surrounded by evil, but you're pure and good. You're innocent, untouched by all the darkness around you."

Torygga was quiet, gazing up into his eyes. "That...that's got to count for something, right?" she asked in a soft voice.

"It does," he murmured before, seemingly realizing what he was doing, withdrawing his hand.

For the next half hour or so, Torygga tried her hardest to find her third reason. Everything she came up with, though, he shot down. She might be smart, but so were those mages in the College - even more than her, so what did her intelligence really matter? And she wasn't a hard worker, because she didn't know what real work was - "Talk to me once you've spent a week in the mines," he'd told her. Loyalty wasn't a virtue unless she knew how to control it, because he'd seen countless men follow their leaders into death out of loyalty. Was she even funny? She thought she was, but he hadn't even had to say anything to indicate his answer, simply look dryly towards her. She was honest, that was a positive quality, but it certainly wasn't enough to spare her life - he'd killed many an honest man, after all. She suggested that she was positive, but he said that her positivity was a result of her innocence, one that they'd already confirmed.

She was feeling confident with two reasons already determined, needing only to find one more, but the longer they talked, the more her confidence slipped. Throughout the conversation, they would go off on little side tangents. Their conversations grew deep and meaningful, contemplating life, and virtue, and morality.

"Perhaps a reason not to kill me is simply because it's wrong?" Torygga suggested softly. "You're not supposed to murder people."

"When you're an assassin, that doesn't matter much," he replied. "We live in a moral grey area."

"But you don't have to," she replied softly. "You can make the choice to do the right thing and not kill me."

"I can also make the choice to make a game of this and push you to question what you know about right and wrong," Aventus replied. "I'll bring you back to those Imperial soldiers who got sent to fight the Stormcloaks. Were they wrong for killing Stormcloak soldiers? Would Tullius and your mother have been doing the wrong thing by sending them to kill?"

"That's different - it was war. The Stormcloaks were rebelling against the Empire. My mother was essentially the Queen at the time, so it was her job to stop the rebellion."

"So it was right for those Imperial soldiers to kill Stormcloaks? If you think about it, they're all just men - grunts, sent to do the bidding of those who deem themselves too important to fight their own battles."

Torygga was quiet for a moment. "I...I suppose," she said slowly. A smile came to Aventus's face.

"Do you want to know something?" he asked in a soft voice. She eyed him curiously, but gave him no answer. He took it as a signal to speak. "You're beautiful, Torygga."

Torygga's cheeks went pink and she turned away. "I doubt that's reason enough to spare me," she said softly.

"Perhaps not," Aventus replied. "Beauty, after all, has no worth unless it can be enjoyed and admired. If I killed you, then who would get to enjoy your beauty?" He paused, glancing briefly towards the window before returning his gaze to her. "And if I spared you, then who would get to enjoy it?"

There came a long silence as Torygga contemplated his words. Then, slowly, she moved closer to where he sat on the bed. She lifted one hand to gently lay it on his cheek, smiling slightly. "I think I get it now," she said in a soft voice, and then, she leaned up and kissed him.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: I'm so sorry that this is so late! There's been a lot going on - all the college teachers in my province have gone on strike, and I haven't been feeling motivated to do much of anything since it started. So sorry! I hope you're all having a great Halloween. Those of you who followed me through The Secret Daughter surely know what time of year it is, and for those who don't, let me tell you: November means NaNoWriMo! As such, Unforeseen Queen will be on hiatus until the end of November. Don't worry, though, I'll be back on December 1st with a new chapter! Until then, I hope you guys have a great November!**

* * *

As Torygga finished telling her story, Leola sat there in utter awe. She couldn't believe it. Aventus? Her dear friend Aventus? Had he really done something like that? Tricked Torygga, seduced her, and fathered her children without being present for them?

"I can't believe Aventus would do something like that," Leola said softly.

"He came by a few nights - I thought that it would lead to something. Then he stopped visiting. A few days later, news came out that your father had died," Torygga said softly. "With the entire province mourning their High King, nobody really cared that Jarl Elisif's daughter had fallen pregnant. I suppose it was something of a blessing that it got overlooked - if people had been talking about it more, it probably would have been more of a scandal...but it was an afterthought, and I've mostly been left in peace."

"And you...have you seen him since?" Leola asked softly, though she knew the answer.

"Yes," Torygga replied. "At your coronation...I had little choice but to attend, and seeing him there stirred up so much...he broke my heart, Leola. I thought that we had something special developing over those few days, and then he was just...gone."

"I know what that's like," Leola muttered, the words escaping her lips before she had the time to catch them. She saw the spike of curiosity in Torygga's expression.

"Oh?" she asked, and Leola sighed softly.

"He left after the coronation...only in the last few days has he returned - something about me being safer if he left me out of it…"

"Men are the worst," Torygga said, shaking her head.

"Women are just as bad," Leola said. "Erith left me…"

"What?" Torygga asked, her eyes widening. "When?"

"She just came back to visit not two days ago, and we had a big fight, and she left," Leola replied. Tears were starting to sting her eyes. She hadn't yet had the chance to talk about it, or to really mourn the loss of her treasured relationship.

"Oh, Leola - I'm sorry," she said quickly. "I wouldn't have imposed with my presence if I'd known."

"No, no - how could you have known? Don't worry about it," Leola said, giving a wave of her hand. "I'm just glad to have company, honestly. My trainer is gone for another two days, so I can't spend any time with her. Farkand's good enough company, but we've never been as close as I have to my friends. Aventus is off on a job…" Leola's voice trailed off as she realized what she'd said. "Sorry," she said quickly.

"No," said Torygga. "Pay me no concern - he's a part of your life, he's bound to come up in conversation."

"If I can avoid it, though, I should like to," Leola replied.

"Did he mean what he said? That he was with the Dark Brotherhood?" Torygga asked, and Leola nodded.

"Yes," she replied. "Whether or not he was telling the truth about someone having a contract for you to be killed, though, I do not know."

"Does he...does he know about my children?" Torygga asked in a soft voice, glancing away. "Surely he must, right? The Dark Brotherhood has eyes and ears everywhere."

"I'd be inclined to assume so," Leola replied. "I don't know, though - this is the first I'm hearing of this, and I have to say I'm surprised. Aventus has never been anything but good and honorable, so I can't figure out why he'd do this to you."

"Do you see him often?" Torygga asked, and Leola shrugged slightly.

"I don't know yet," she said. "He was gone for so long - I've seen him twice now since he's returned, and I got a letter from him by courier, but I don't know what's going to be normal yet. When I see him, though, he and I are going to have a very serious talk about fatherly responsibilities…"

"I just don't understand what he could possibly have had to gain from this," Torygga said, shaking her head. "If he was just looking for someone to warm his bed for a few nights, I'm sure he could easily have found somebody he didn't have to manipulate or threaten - or someone who wouldn't get attached so quickly and be heartbroken when he left…"

"I don't know what he could have had to gain from it either," Leola said softly, although in the back of her mind, there were wheels turning. Pieces were starting to fall together, and Leola was beginning to wonder exactly how it was that destiny worked.

Torygga sighed, running a hand through her blonde hair. "I should...I should get some rest," she said. "Thinking about all this - it's brought back so much emotion, and now I'm exhausted."

"That's understandable," Leola replied. "Have a good night, Torygga. It's been...enlightening, talking to you."

Torygga snickered slightly nodding. "It has," she said softly. "I appreciate you listening, Leola...it would be an honour if you'd allow me to call you a friend."

A smile came to Leola's lips and she nodded. "Absolutely," she said. "Let Farkand know if there's anything more you need, I think I'm going to go get some air."

"Also understandable," Torygga said with a smile. As she got up and left, a bit wobbly on her feet, Leola quietly watched her go. Then she got up, and she took her cloak from where it hung near her throne. Tossing it over her shoulders, she headed out of the palace as quietly as she could.

Windhelm, to Leola, almost felt as though it had been designed for her parents to be in love. From the palace, there were only two ways to go - one could head straight into the main part of town, or one could take a small side road that led almost directly to Hjerim. Leola liked to imagine her father stealing away from the castle to visit her, unseen by the townsfolk. She liked to imagine her mother sneaking past the guards through that alleyway, creeping into the castle to visit Ulfric. If only things had worked out differently - if only her mother hadn't fled with his child.

She knocked sharply on the door of Hjerim, and was greeted by a voice from within calling, "It's open!" She was surprised that Nericano would be so bold as to leave the door wide open, but sure enough, it opened with only a push. The Altmer man sat casually at the table in the main room, lounging against the edge of the table and reading a book. He didn't even glance up as she entered.

"Nericano?" Leola asked softly, and he nodded.

"Yes," he replied. "Not sure who else you expected, my dear Queen."

She shut the door behind her, moving forward. "What are you reading?" she asked.

"The most fascinating and truthful accounts of your mother's valiant exploits," he replied, and she raised an eyebrow. He glanced up at her after a moment of silence, a smile on his lips. "It's your mother's journal."

"She - her journal?" Leola asked softly, her eyes widening. She didn't know anything about a journal, but she also wasn't surprised. "My mother...always had to write things down. Else she'd forget them. Our house was always littered with notes reminding her of things she had to do," she said softly, walking over and sitting down on the bench beside him.

"This seems to be the same idea," he replied. "She wrote down all the things she needed to do, presumably so she wouldn't forget. Would you like to see?"

Leola was almost hesitant, but nodded and outstretched her hands. Nericano handed over the journal, and Leola opened it to a random page. It was definitely her mother's writing. Some of it was hastily scrawled as if she'd been in a hurry, while other bits had clearly been written when she had time to sit down and work on it. All the entries were in different colours of ink, and Leola could only imagine her mother writing in it. The Dragonborn had written her entries in brief sections, and had written the follow-up almost directly after.

" _With Tolfdir still occupied in Saarthal, I need to speak to Mirabelle Ervine to find out about researching the discovery in Saarthal,"_ Leola read in a soft voice. "This...this is about the College of Winterhold, isn't it?"

"Why don't you read on?" Nericano asked.

" _Since Tolfdir is not available, I've been asked by Mirabelle Ervine to look into information on the_

 _object we found in Saarthal by talking to Urag gro-Shub in the Arcanaeum... I've been asked to find more information on the object found in Saarthal. Urag suggested that useful books may have been stolen from the Arcanaeum by Othorn, a former Apprentice at the College. His last known location was Fellglow Keep… I've freed Orthorn from Fellglow Keep, and he has offered to help me find the books I'm looking for."_ Again, Leola looked up at Nericano. "She kept a log of every last thing she did while she was Skyrim's hero," she said softly.

"She did," Nericano replied. "That particular entry is quite fascinating - your mother joins the College of Winterhold, saves it from a Thalmor threat, and goes on to become Arch-Mage."

"But...you're a Thalmor," Leola said slowly, raising an eyebrow.

"Not a power-hungry crazy one," Nericano replied with a shrug of his shoulders. "Anything else of interest in there?"

"All of it's of interest," Leola said softly, flipping through it. "Oh! There's my father's name!" she exclaimed, her eyes widening.

"Likely related to the Civil War, I would guess?" Nericano asked gently.

" _I've decided to help the Stormcloaks drive the Empire out of Skyrim. My first mission is to help Galmar Stone-Fist retrieve the Jagged Crown from the ruins of Korvanjund,"_ Leola read softly. "And then a few notes, as if she was in too much of a hurry to write a full entry about it - _Meet Galmar outside Korvanjund. Retrieve the Jagged Crown. Deliver the crown to Ulfric Stormcloak…"_ Leola was quiet for a moment, smiling. "I have that crown now," she said in a soft voice.

"You do," Nericano replied with a nod. "Because you are their child, and the High Queen of Skyrim."

"Where did you find this journal?" Leola asked, looking up at him. "Have you had this all along?"

"Oh, no, certainly not," Nericano replied, shaking his head. "In fact, I found it in here - found it under a loose floorboard beneath the bed. How long it's been there, I know not."

Leola's eyes widened. "I've...I've done so much work clearing out her things from here, and I never found it," she breathed.

"Don't blame yourself, my dear," he said. "I'm inclined to say that she hid it where she knew it wouldn't be found. Perhaps she intended to return for it one day."

"Perhaps," Leola replied softly. Again, she flipped to a random page. " _Lucan Valerius in Riverwood is offering me a gold reward if I retrieve his antique Golden Claw, stolen by bandits camped in Bleak Falls Barrow... Apparently, one of the bandits has taken the claw further into Bleak Falls Barrow… I have returned the Golden Claw to Lucan, who rewarded me for my effort."_ Leola smiled to herself. "My mother was so good," she said softly, then paused. What if her mother's ventures with the Dark Brotherhood were documented in this journal. She began flipping through it, hopeful.

"Looking for something?" asked Nericano.

"The Dark Brotherhood...Ahh, here it is. _Astrid has given me my first major contract. I am to contact Muiri, the apothecary's assistant in the Hag's Cure, in Markarth. Muiri has apparently performed the Black Sacrament, and is trying to contact the Dark Brotherhood… Muiri wants me to kill the bandit leader Alain Dufont, who is holed up with his gang of cutthroats in the dwarven ruin of Raldbthar. If Dufont dies, the contract will be completed, but Muiri will pay me some kind of bonus if I also eliminate Nilsine Shatter-Shield, in Windhelm."_ Leola slowly looked up at Nericano, who seemed more intrigued now than he had been the rest of the time she'd been reading.

"Well?" Nericano asked slowly. "Did she kill Nilsine Shatter-Shield?"

Leola paused, looking down at the journal. "It...it doesn't say?" she said slowly. " _After contacting Muiri, the apothecary's assistant at the Hag's Cure in Makarth, I learned that she wished to hire the Dark Brotherhood to kill a slanderous ex-lover. I killed the man, the bandit leader Alain Dufont, and was rewarded for the contract."_

"Interest," Nericano replied. "Find the one where your mother assassinates the Emperor of Tamriel, that ought to be interesting."

"I'm not so sure I want to," Leola replied softly, flipping the page. "Nericano, listen to this - _I have killed Vittoria Vici, the Emperor's cousin, at her own wedding, and everyone will assume it's related to the ongoing war. The Emperor will now be forced to visit Skyrim to deal with the aftermath, paving the way for his assassination._ "

Nericano was silent for a moment, slowly nodding. "There's a saying, you know," he said softly. "You either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become the villain. I think I'm going to retire for the night - feel free to stay as long as you'd like. It's your mother, after all - though I think it would be best that we keep the journal here. If information like this got out - well, it would be scandalous for you, to say the very least. I'd hate to tarnish the public opinion of the great Dragonborn."

There was something about Nericano's words that struck a chord with Leola, though she couldn't quite say what it was. She shook her head slightly. "I think I'll take it home with me," she said. "It will be safe in the palace."

"As you wish," Nericano replied with a nod, and then he headed up the stairs, leaving Leola alone in the quiet house.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Wow! It's been a while! I intended to start posting on December 1st as soon as NaNoWriMo was finished, but life got ahead of me and I was super caught up with school, work, other projects, etc. I'm back, though! Leola and I aren't going anywhere!**

* * *

Leola stayed for the better part of an hour at Hjerim, curled up in a corner reading her mother's journal. She intended to read it from cover to cover, to memorize every detail - to know every piece of her mother's exploits, both good and bad. When she found herself growing tired, she packed it up and returned to the palace, though sleep would not find her and she ended up once again indulging herself in the journal, cozy in her bed.

Curiosity struck her as she read of her mother's involvement with Whiterun's Companions - how did the journal end? She quickly flipped to the back, wondering what the last entry would be. Had her mother simply started a new journal once she ran out of room, or had she crammed every last detail into this one?

In the back half of the journal, the entries became few and far between. Skyrim was saved. Alduin was no longer a threat. The Civil War was over. The Dark Brotherhood and Thieves' Guild were stable. Miraak was no longer a threat. There wasn't as much for her mother to do, so it ended up being little more than an occasional job for the Guild, or a contract for the Brotherhood. Towards the very end, though, it picked up again.

 _Last night we celebrated a year's passing since the Battle for Solitude. High King Ulfric and I both had a few too many drinks as we recalled the look on Tullius's face. I can't recall now who initiated it, but I do recall that we wound up in his room together. It was remarkable, he-_

Leola shook her head quickly, turning the page. And then turning it again. And again. She was _not_ reading her mother's account of how she'd been conceived.

 _I had to leave when morning came. I am to kill a Grim Shieldmaiden in Markarth. I promised Ulfric that I would return in a couple of weeks. We didn't talk about what happened. I am now on my way to Markarth. I am giddy...I can think of little but Ulfric. For so long, I've had feelings for him. To know now that he may feel the same way...perhaps he and I will be together._

From there, only two entries remained, and Leola bit her lip as she read them.

 _I am pregnant with High King Ulfric Stormcloak's child. I have never been more afraid in my life, not even when I traveled to Sovngarde to face Alduin. What will I do if he's angry? We were drunk, after all. He may not feel the same way about me that I feel about him. And to have a child out of wedlock would be his first major scandal. I can't do that to him. Rayya has agreed to help me disappear for the time being. I intend to go to Lakeview Manor. Nobody will find me there, and I can figure out what to do about my situation._

Tears came to Leola's eyes. She could only imagine how frightened her mother had been. As a child, she'd never seen her mother as anything but brave. As an adult, she'd learned that her childhood self had been closer to the truth than she'd realized - her mother was braver than brave. If only her mother had known how Ulfric felt. If only she'd been willing to take that chance… Leola moved on to the final entry.

 _By the Nine, I hope that nobody ever finds this journal, but in case anyone is: Ulfric, if you are reading this, I want you to know that I loved you. What we shared that night was real - it was special. I hope you felt the same way, and if you did, I'm sorry for hurting you. I'm sorry that I left with your child. I'm sorry for not coming to you when I found out. I was afraid. I hope that you can understand that. I hope you can forgive me… And to my child, if you are reading this. Please do not think less of me because of what you see in this journal. Destiny was not kind to me. I'm sorry that you will not get to know your father. Ulfric is a great man. I took you away because I couldn't stand the thought of losing you. In raising you, I hope to undo all the dark deeds that I have done since returning to Skyrim. You will be a good child. I will make sure of it. I hope to live to see you become a great adult. I wish for you to be happy, to know that you are loved, and to get all you want out of life. Most of all, though...I hope you can forgive me for all I've done._

By now, the tears that had been welling up in Leola's eyes were openly streaming down her face. This entry...it had been intended for her. Her mother hadn't known that she would one day be here, the High Queen of Skyrim. All her mother had ever wanted for her was happiness, and all she'd ever wanted from her was forgiveness. She clutched the journal against her chest, trembling from the sobs.

"I forgive you, mother," she whimpered, hanging her head. She knew that her mother probably couldn't hear her, but just in case...she wanted her to know. "I forgive you for all you've done. I loved you so much, mother - I still do. I hope you're with father in Sovngarde. I hope you're happy. I hope you're at peace…"

Leola barely slept that night. She tossed and turned, unable to stop thinking about the words her mother had written in that journal. Could her mother see her now? Did she know that Leola had forgiven her mother, and that she was, for the most part, happy now? Or was her mother's soul in Sovngarde, wondering and worrying about the journal, and whether Leola would read it, and whether she would forgive her?

When Leola awoke, it was to the faint sense of not being alone. She laid still in bed for a few moments, faintly able to hear breathing. Was somebody in her room? She waited, but the sounds persisted - whoever it was, they weren't leaving, instead waiting for her to awaken.

"Aventus, is that you?" Leola asked in a calm voice.

"Yes," came the reply, and she breathed a sigh of relief, sitting up. Sure enough, Aventus was sitting in a chair in the corner of the room, looking relaxed as anything.

"What are you doing?" she asked, beginning to finger-comb her hair to tidy it somewhat.

"I spoke to Erith," he said. "It...didn't go well."

"I'm sorry," Leola said quickly. "I should have known she'd be angry with you for leaving, and that she wouldn't listen while she's angry…"

"You got that right," he said with a sad laugh, shaking his head. "She was angry, that's for sure. I think we should let her be for a while - let her calm down, see if she comes around on her own. I mean...she does love you, Leola. Always has. I don't think she's ready to throw that away, despite what she may say."

Leola nodded, hanging her head and letting a soft sigh escape her lips. "I know," she replied quietly. "I only hope that you're right."

"I know that I'm right," Aventus replied with a smile. "So...I saw that Torygga and her children are here?"

"You mean Torygga and _your_ children?" Leola asked, the words leaving her lips before she could stop them.

"Ah…" Aventus murmured with a slow nod. "So she told you." He seemed unsurprised, and unconcerned.

Leola bit her lip slightly, gazing towards him. "How could you, Aventus?" she asked in a soft voice. She could still barely believe what Torygga had told her. "What you did to her - that was all kinds of wrong, how could you?"

"I didn't have a choice," Aventus replied.

"You always have a choice," Leola said.

"Not in this case," he said. "Let me explain - do you remember when we visited Clavicus Vile to retrieve his piece of your mother's soul?"

Leola was quiet for a moment. Visiting Clavicus Vile had been a somewhat odd experience. She'd just killed a man for the first time, so she'd been struggling with that. They'd gone to visit Vile, but he'd requested Aventus instead of her. Aventus had approached the shrine, conversed with the Daedric Prince, and returned with the soul gem. He spoke not of the deal that he had made with Vile. "I do," she said slowly.

"He and I made a deal," Aventus said, walking over and sitting down beside Leola on the bed. "In exchange for his piece of the soul gem, he wanted me to go to Solitude and seduce the Jarl's daughter. He didn't say why. He didn't say what was to come of it. All he said was to make love to her - a few times, ideally - and then to leave. So, I did. I didn't expect her to get pregnant. I didn't expect to become a father."

"Why didn't you go back after finding out?" Leola asked.

"Because the deal was contingent on me being absent," Aventus replied. "Like I said, I don't know why - all I know is that I wasn't to be part of the picture. By now, I've decided that Vile probably knew she would become pregnant - why he wanted that, I know not, only -"

"I know," Leola said suddenly, her eyes widening. "It...it makes so much sense. I get it."

"What?" Aventus asked, raising an eyebrow. He moved closer, seemingly intrigued. "What do you mean, you know?"

"I understand everything," Leola said. "Well, almost everything… Vile didn't want you to be in the picture because he didn't want you involved in the naming process. That's what it was...if you had been with Torygga, helping her to choose names for her little ones, then the names might have come back to me...and if you'd told me the name she was considering for her daughter, I would have immediately told you not to use it…"

"Why?" asked Aventus. "I think that Lorelette is a lovely name."

"When I met with Mehrunes Dagon," Leola said slowly, "he and I also made a deal...he gave me the piece, but my instructions were that I would one day meet a girl named Lorelette, and that I am to kill her when I do."

Leola watched the colour drain from Aventus's face as he heard this. "Dagon...wants you to kill Lorelette?" he asked slowly.

"Yes," Leola replied. "I only just found out today that Lorelette is Torygga's daughter - after I heard the girl's name, I was sick. Dagon wants me to kill Torygga's little girl…"

"My little girl," Aventus said, his voice low, almost a growl. "I may not be raising them with her, but that's my daughter too. I watch over them, I make sure no harm comes their way - I've foiled two assassination attempts on Elisif just to make sure there's no chance of the twins getting caught in the crossfire. Leola, you can't kill my daughter."

"I don't know what else I can do," Leola said, tears coming to her eyes. She was relieved to hear what Aventus had said. After Torygga's story, she'd thought there was some other side to Aventus that she didn't know, but this was the Aventus she knew - doing his duty, and then protecting from the shadows. "Dagon is watching - if I don't kill her, he said that we'll all pay the price…"

"There must be some other way," Aventus said, almost pleading now. "We can visit Dagon - we can talk to him, I'm sure we can come to some other terms that will satisfy him...I just can't let you kill Lorelette."

Leola was quiet, glancing away. "I'm almost relieved Erith isn't here for this," she said, a slight smile coming to her lips. "Erith promised that she'd make sure I kill this girl when I find her."

"I'm sure she would change her tune if she knew the circumstances," Aventus replied. "We could leave now, if you wanted - we'd reach Morthal by this evening, we could stay the night, and then when morning comes we could head up to Dagon's shrine and see if he can make a new deal."

"I doubt he'd go for it," Leola said softly. "I suppose it's worth a try, though…"

"Shall we be on our way, then?" asked Aventus, and Leola shook her head.

"We can't go right now," she said. "I still have a guest in my palace, I can't just leave when Torygga is here."

"Ah, true," Aventus said with a nod. "Well, let me know when you're ready to go - I'll be at my house."

"Of course," Leola said, nodding. It was easy to forget that Aventus owned a house in the city, especially with how frequently he was gone. While he had been missing, Leola had checked in on the house several times. Every time, though, she found it recently accessed. Whether he was using it or there were people bumming in there overnight, she had no idea. All she knew was that the signs of use meant that she couldn't sell it to anyone new - and even if she could have, she hadn't been sure that she wanted to just yet.

Aventus left her room, and once he was gone, Leola got dressed. She ran a brush through her hair before leaving her room, wandering out into the main hall of the palace. Torygga was already up, sitting at the table with her two little ones in her lap. Leola offered her a smile as she approached, but Torygga did not return it.

"Good morning," Leola said, going and sitting down across from her.

"You didn't tell me you were having a friend over," Torygga said in a low voice. Leola's eyes widened. Of course. Aventus would have walked through here on his way out while she was getting dressed - Torygga must have seen him.

"I didn't know he was coming," Leola said quickly. "He has a tendency to just...show up."

"Ah," Torygga said with a slight nod. "Well, we're heading to the White Phial today to see if they have the remedy that Lorelette needs."

"Why don't I come with you?" Leola asked suddenly, a smile coming to her lips. "You're my guest, after all, let me join you - besides, it's been too long since I was in the market, I should visit with my people. You fall out of that habit when you have a cook and a steward to manage things like that for you."

"Are you sure? You haven't any plans that we'll be impeding?" asked Torygga, but Leola shook her head.

"No," she said. "Nothing at all, I just have to eat and then we can head out."


	11. Chapter 11

Being in the market reminded Leola of exactly why she tended to avoid the market.

The moment she rounded the corner and emerged into the market area of town, she immediately felt the harsh eyes of Grimvar Cruel-Sea looking intently in her direction. Whenever she was in the area, he was always glaring daggers in her direction. He'd been a part of Samuel's little team back when he'd been trying to stop her from saving her mother and becoming the future Queen. The first time she'd ever laid eyes on Grimvar, he'd been guarding her childhood home, Lakeview Manor, lest she and her friends try to find Samuel there. Aventus had snuck up behind him to choke him out, and he still held a grudge against her for it.

"Your majesty," came the voice of Oengul War-Anvil, the blacksmith, as she approached. Immediately, all heads in the marketplace turned to her, and she smiled somewhat shyly.

"Good morning," she said politely, giving a nod of her head.

"Is there something you need, my lady?" asked Oengul, but Leola shook her head.

"No, no," she said, smiling at him. "I'm simply accompanying Lady Torygga here to the White Phial. Please, return to your work."

"Of course, of course," Oengul said with a nod.

Past his shoulder, Leola spotted Oengul's young wife, Hermir. She'd never quite known how to read the woman - although she was happily married and had children just a few months younger than Leola, she still seemed somewhat resentful of the fact that Ulfric had chosen the Dragonborn, and that he'd managed to produce Leola. She was never anything but kind, but there was just something...off...about their interactions.

"Your majesty," called out Niranye from her stall, waving her arm slightly. "Do you mind coming here a moment?"

"Not at all," Leola replied. She exchanged a look with Torygga, who smiled.

"Go ahead," said the other woman with a nod. "I'll head into the shop, you can join me when you've finished."

"Alright," Leola said with a nod. As Torygga carried her two little ones into the White Phial, Leola walked over to Niranye's stall, smiling. "What do you need?" she asked.

"I've been meaning to come by the palace and talk to you about this," Niranye said, "but I've been terribly busy as of late. It's good that you're here. An...associate...of mine recently acquired a rather interesting item that I know to have belonged to your mother - of course, if I had mentioned that, they'd have charged me at least double what I paid, and I already paid an exorbitant amount of gold to retrieve this for you."

"Oh?" Leola asked curiously as Niranye knelt to search around beneath her stall. A moment later, the elf stood upright and held out an unusual-looking amulet. It appeared to be made of bone, with a rectangular token in the middle and a few smaller, tooth-like pieces on the sides.

"The person who sold it to me believed it to be the Gauldur amulet, though I do not know how that can be - the amulet was destroyed, and the pieces separated. Unless, of course, your mother retrieved those pieces and reforged them - I certainly wouldn't put it past her."

Leola was quiet, thinking back to the journal she'd read the night before. Gauldur amulet...it sounded familiar, that was for certain. "She might have," Leola said softly. "How much for it?"

"Nothing at all," Niranye replied. "I believe I owed your mother a favour or two before she disappeared - consider it repaying my debts."

Leola's eyes widened at hearing the elf's words. "Really?" she asked softly. "I - I couldn't. You said you paid a lot for it."

"I did," Niranye replied, "and it wounds me that my Queen won't accept my gift." There was a slight smile on the elven woman's lips, indicating that she spoke in jest - which came as a relief to Leola. Niranye had always been tricky to read, but overall, Leola had typically seen her as kind and genuine.

"Oh, Niranye," Leola said with a laugh. She outstretched her hands and took the amulet from her, examining it closely. "I do appreciate this, I really do - please, if there's anything you ever need, do not hesitate to ask."

"Believe me, I won't," Niranye replied with a smirk. "Which reminds me - I've noticed a newcomer in town, an Altmer man, coming to the market to buy food. Any idea what his name is?"

Leola blinked in surprise. She hadn't realized that Nericano was making himself visible to the townspeople - she'd expected that, as a Thalmor in Skyrim, he'd have been keeping himself hidden in Hjerim. Maybe he'd simply changed his clothing - after all, surely an elf in Thalmor robes would have garnered attention from the guards. "His name is Nericano," Leola replied with a smile. "Why do you ask?"

"It's not often that I find my eyes so drawn to one of my own people," Niranye replied with a sly smile on her lips. "I tend to be more partial to Redguard men - oh, those Redguards - but this Nericano...do you know if he's married?"

Leola felt her heart sink somewhat. She wasn't entirely sure why - after all, Nericano was just a friend, and Leola loved Erith...but she felt almost jealous at hearing of Niranye's admiration for the Altmer man.

"I'm sorry, but I don't," Leola replied, shaking her head.

"Ah, a pity," Niranye replied. "I'll just have to ask him myself, I suppose. Now, I won't keep you from your company any longer - good day to you, your majesty."

"And to you, Niranye," Leola said with a nod. She held up the amulet and gave a warm smile. "Thank you for this."

She turned and headed towards the White Phial, trying to ignore the heavy feeling of Grimvar's glare as she approached the store. She opened the door, heading inside and smiling at the sight of her new friend Torygga. Lorelette was sitting on the counter while Quintus rummaged around through some boxes below the counter, and Torygga carried Anders in her arms still. Just as Leola entered, she saw Torygga somewhat awkwardly shift Anders from one side to the other.

"I can take him," Leola offered, moving forward and opening her arms.

"Thank you," Torygga said, handing the little boy over. He was heavier than his sister, but Leola smiled down at him as she held him, and he gave her something akin to a smile in return.

"Your majesty!" came a voice from the doorway off to the side. Leola turned and glanced over, smiling slightly as she saw a redheaded Breton girl, one who couldn't have been more than fifteen or sixteen.

"Hello," Leola said kindly. "I don't believe we've met."

"Er, no, ma'am," the girl said, shaking her head. "My name is Lysiane Madauche - I'm Master Navale's apprentice."

"Oh, you've taken an apprentice?" Leola asked, looking at Quintus as he poked his head up from beneath the counter.

"I have," he replied. "She's a very bright girl - oh, Lysiane, do we have any more nirnroot in the back room? I have only a few here."

"I'll go and look," said the girl, turning and hurrying into the other room.

Leola's eyes fell upon Lorelette, sitting cheerfully on the counter while she waited for Quintus to prepare her remedy. The girl was so lovely, and so well-behaved. Leola, just from having met her last night, had no doubt in her mind that she, like Lysiane, would be a bright girl. Maybe Lorelette would apprentice to an apothecary. Maybe she'd one day be Archmage of the College of Winterhold. Maybe she'd be a graduate of the Bards College in Solitude.

And Leola...Leola had to take that bright future away from her.

She glanced away, taking a few breaths to compose herself. No. She didn't have to kill Lorelette. That was the entire reason for her plans with Aventus. They would talk to Dagon. She would spare Lorelette…

But, then again, if Leola was going to kill the child, now was perhaps her best opportunity. Quintus probably had some poison on hand, or some poisonous ingredients - if she could slip some nightshade into the remedy, her task would be done. They couldn't track Lorelette's death back to her, although Quintus and Lysiane would likely be held responsible. She couldn't do that to them.

She also wasn't sure she could go through with killing Lorelette in the first place. Back to the plan. Talk to Dagon.

Before long, Quintus had prepared the remedy that Lorelette needed. It came as a green liquid in a tiny bottle, and he told Torygga to give the child a few drops with each feeding until her symptoms went away. Torygga thanked him before scooping up Lorelette and beginning to leave. Leola followed, still holding Anders.

"You seem quiet," Torygga remarked when they were halfway back to the palace.

"Do I?" Leola asked, feeling a warmth come to her cheeks. "That wasn't my intention."

"What's on your mind?" asked Torygga.

"I - er - it's Erith," Leola said quickly. "I just...miss her. I want her to come back."

"Ah," Torygga said with a nod. "I know the feeling...you and Erith have been together a while, though - I'm sure she'll realize that she doesn't want to throw it away. Mara has blessed you with one another, and she'd be a fool to reject such a gift."

"I only hope that she can see it that way," Leola replied, shaking her head.

Back at the palace, lunch was just being served. Farkand was biting into a chunk of bread as the girls walked in, and he smiled.

"Ah, so I won't be dining alone after all!" he said, and they both laughed.

"No, you won't," Leola said, walking over and sitting beside him. She let Anders sit in her lap. He seemed calm, much calmer than he had been when Torygga and the twins had first arrived.

"I'm assuming all went well at the White Phial?" Farkand asked, his gaze shifting towards Torygga.

"It did," she replied, and sat across from him and Leola. She had Lorelette in her own lap, and gently placed a kiss on top of the child's head. "I was thinking that we'd leave tonight - I found on my way here that the motion of the carriage was soothing to the little ones and they slept quite well, so I'm sure that traveling at night will let me get some sleep, too."

"That's a good idea," Farkand said with a nod. "Nothing worse than crying babies when you're trying to sleep."

"You say that as if you know from experience," Torygga teased, and he chuckled.

"I have a few siblings - trust me, I do know from experience," he said. "Luckily I was never the one who had to deal with them, that was my poor mother's job."

"Poor mother indeed," Torygga said with a laugh.

Leola was quiet as she listened to the pair of them laughing and talking between themselves. She watched Torygga bounce her daughter in her lap, watched her feed the little girl. Lorelette was completely dependant on Torygga, with no way of taking care of herself. It hardly seemed fair for Leola to even think about hurting her.

If Torygga was leaving that evening, Leola wanted to leave with Aventus as soon as possible. She wanted to talk to Dagon, wanted to see what could be done to change the terms of their deal and spare the child.

The three of them made conversation as they ate. They mostly discussed the children. Torygga was obviously a happy and proud mother. Farkand, to Leola's surprise, didn't ask her any questions about their father, although perhaps he simply knew better. After all, it was well-known among the Jarls and their households that Jarl Elisif's daughter had given birth to her children out of wedlock.

After they ate, all three went their own ways. Torygga wanted to put the twins down for their nap, and to have a short nap along with them. Farkand had business to tend to in town, and though Leola didn't have much to do, she decided to write up a short letter for Aventus, requesting that they meet at the palace at sunrise to go to Dagon's shrine. She took care to include in her letter that Torygga would be leaving that evening, meaning that he had no need to be concerned about running into her. After all, it seemed that he kept a watchful enough eye on the twins as it was already…


End file.
